


Forgive Me

by cloverlotus



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Betrayal, Broken Promises, Bromance, Brother Betrayal, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Female Friendship, Friendship, Friendship betrayal, Hurt, Love, Male Friendship, Past Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen, Sexual Tension, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2018-12-21 11:01:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11942757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloverlotus/pseuds/cloverlotus
Summary: Playboy, Tommy Merlyn, develops his first crush, on Felicity Smoak, while at Verdant. They start dating, but what happens when his best friend and fellow playboy, Oliver Queen, falls for her too?





	1. Chapter 1

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=16a752t)

**Tommy Merlyn**

I stood in the VIP area of Verdant, sipping my scotch, and overlooking the rest of club. The neon lights pulsed around me, while the EDM music- courtesy of our guest DJ, Steve Aoki- blared. To my left stood my best friend, wingman, fellow playboy, and brother, Oliver Queen, with his tongue down some chick's throat.

I think her name was Amberlyn- or was it Kimberly?- I didn't remember, but I definitely banged her about a week ago. I inwardly laughed, thinking about how pissed Ollie would be if he took her home. No, not because I already screwed her, but because she's beyond clingy. I also recall her screaming out "Tommy, put a baby in me!" while we were having sex. Not cool.

My eyes flitted over to the bar and there _she_ was, talking to... Sara Lance? I wondered how this mystery blonde knew Sara, because I'd never seen her before. She was sitting at the bar, while Sara poured her martini. Her blonde locks swayed ever so slightly when she threw her head back, laughing at something Sara said. I felt the sudden desire to know what that laughed sounded like. Without thought, my feet carried me down the stairs, to the bar and right up to the stunning blonde.

"You know, beautiful, if I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put 'U' and 'I' together." I started, throwing her my most charming smile. That was kind of my thing: hit the girl with a corny, cliche pick up line, then flash my pearly whites. Majority of women go for it, finding it endearing. But for those who didn't go for it, my name tended to seal the deal.

I took a moment to appreciate her-(definitely size 34B)- boobs in the low-cut, little black dress she was wearing. My eyes trailed over her body, and I saw that the long sleeved dress was skin tight, and stopped at her mid thigh. Her creamy, silk legs were extremely tantalizing with those cherry red pumps. My eyes focused back on her face, noticing her bright blue eyes first, then her lips, that perfectly matched her shiny heels. Her billows of golden hair cascaded over her back, curled just the slightest. Then, the blonde goddess turned her head towards me, sipped her martini, and looked me up and down.

"I'm Thomas Merlyn, but you can call me Tommy." I smiled again, opting for plan B. She tipped her head and smirked at me, grabbing the toothpicked olive from her drink. She slowly raised it to her mouth, and my eyes couldn't help but watch those sexy red lips as they closed around the olive. I closed my eyes for a second and inhaled through my nose. Fuck, this girl was so sexy. I opened my eyes back to find her watching me intently.

"And I'm not interested, but thanks." She replied, a smirk on her face, then she polished off the rest of her drink. I frowned at her, her cold attitude giving me metaphoric- is that the right word?- chills. I schooled my features and smirked before gulping down the rest of my scotch. I turned my attention to the blonde bartender.

"Sara." I said with a small nod. Sara looked between the beautiful woman and myself with a smirk.

"Tommy. This is Felicity Smoak." She introduced with a smirk as her friend glared at her, a look of shock taking over her face.

"Smoak, huh?" I asked, turning my attention to Felicity. She sighed and rolled her eyes, giving a small shake of her head. "It's fitting because you are definitely Smoaking hot." I smirked, flicking out my tongue to wet my lips.

"Sara. I will never come here again." She stated, warning her friend before turning her attention my way. "Listen, Thomas-"

"Please, just Tommy." I interjected with a smile. She stared at me in silent annoyance for a few seconds.

"Merlyn." Felicity said with a glare. "I don't know what kind of girl you _think_ I am, but I know _exactly_ the kind of guy you are. A few corny lines won't get me into your bed. So thanks, but no thanks." I nodded understandly, before speaking up.

"You didn't strike me as a 'one-night-stand' kind of girl." I smirked. She drew me in so deep, and that was an oddity to me, but the words kept flowing like word vomit. "I was hoping I could perhaps take you to dinner some time." She scoffed at me, her left eyebrow raised and her eyes slightly squinted.

"Right." She responded, skeptically.

"Well then, Miss Smoak, I'm sorry for having wasted your time." I nodded, curtly, before looking to Sara and sliding my empty glass across the bar. "May I have another scotch?"

"Sure," she replied, grabbing the bottle of scotch and refilling my glass.

"And all of Miss Smoak's drinks are on the house tonight." I smiled, looking back at the beautiful woman, who looked less than impressed. I felt even more attracted to her, simply because she rejected me.

Women rarely ever rejected me. I've always brushed off the ones that did and just found a new girl. But Felicity was different. It was going to be a bit of a chase, but I could bet that it would be worth it.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Felicity." I smiled at her genuinely. She stared at me for a second, looking as though she was contemplating something before sighing.

She reached her hand into her small clutch, and I noticed her perfectly polished red nails- each ring finger decorated with black polka-dots. Her slender fingers produced a red pen, and she raised her head back to me, then grabbed my left hand. I couldn't help but smile when I realized what she was doing. I watched as she pressed the red ink into the skin of my palm, writing her phone number and name is small neat writing.

"Don't give me a reason to regret this." She warned, stuffing the pen back into her red, sparkly clutch. I flashed her a bright smile before replying.

"I don't plan on it, Miss Smoak. Enjoy the rest of your night." I smiled at her, then caught sight of Ollie leaving the club with Amberlyn/Kimberly.

* * *

**Felicity Smoak**

I woke up in the morning feeling refreshed, despite having had slept on an air mattress. Sara dragged me out to some club, called Verdant, the previous night. She was excited to show me her place of work, having had bragged about it over the last few months.

I still had a week left until my interview at Queen Consolidated. I'd just gotten to Starling the previous day, and thank goodness Sara drove me. The potentially boring trip was actually a lot of fun.

Sara and I met at summer camp when we were 7. We saw each other every year at camp until we were 14. When my mom had moved us to Vegas, Sara and I stayed in touch and always saved up money to visit one another from then up until now. I eventually moved to Massachusetts to attend MIT, and Sara made her way there for my graduation last year. She was thrilled to hear that I was moving to Starling City and immediately offered to pick me up from the airport.

I smiled at the memory, glad that I'd actually be able to be near Sara, rather than settle for the long distance friendship we had. I unplugged my phone from the charger and carried it with me to the kitchen. Once I had the coffee maker up and running, the familiar comforting buzz filling my one bedroom apartment, I looked around the living room.

There were boxes everywhere. I hadn't unpacked anything yet, (aside from last night's outfit, my coffee maker, and a single mug), and was still waiting for the movers to come with my furniture. I was grateful that the carpet company was able to install the carpeting prior to my arrival, and more grateful that Sara had been here to let them in for me. I decided that I would start unpacking after my furniture had arrived.

I leaned against the kitchen island and as soon as I brought my phone screen to life, a text message came through. I looked at the number not recognizing it, and clicked the message open.

_Good morning, Felicity. It's Tommy Merlyn, we met last night at Verdant_

I smirked a little and typed out a quick reply.

**FS** : _Good morning, and how could I forget the guy with cheesy pick up lines?_

Satisfied with my words, I hit send and stored his number into my contacts, before another message came through.

**TM** _: Let's go grab some coffee_

**FS** : _Hmm... I'd have to check my schedule, Merlyn_

**TM** : _Aw c'mon :( I'm sure you could pencil me in for say 10:30?_

**TM** : _I'll even throw in a chocolate chip muffin ;) I know a cafe the makes the best ones_

I smirked at his charm before peering up at the time, in the upper right corner of my screen. That would give me about an hour and a half to get myself together.

**FS** : _Well I guess I could squeeze you in, but only because the muffin sounds too good to pass up_

**FS** : _Text me the address_

His next message came in almost immediately.

**TM** : _You won't regret it, beautiful ;)_

**TM** : _1145 Maple Boulevard, see you there_

**FS** : _see you then_

I placed my phone on the counter and filled my mug with coffee, then realized that I had no cream or sugar. I frowned at the black coffee, and forced down half of the bitter liquid, before retiring my mug to the sink. I sifted through one of the boxes in the living room, finding a towel and coconut-vanilla body wash. I decided to tie my hair into a quick bun on top of my head, opting to keep it dry since I wouldn't have time for a fight with the blow dryer. My hair could survive until later since I'd washed it at Sara's house the day before.

I made my shower speedy then retreated to the living to look through one of the boxes labeled ' _Clothes_ '. It took a while, but I eventually settled on a turquoise, sleeveless peplum top. It had a cut out on the chest to just slightly show of my cleavage, which Tommy had been ever so subtle about checking out the night before. I paired it with a dark blue pair of skinny jeans and turquoise ballet flats.

After retrieving the necessary items from the boxes, I brushed my hair into a neat ponytail, brushed my teeth and applied some light makeup, before sliding on my glasses. I then wondered if Tommy would even recognize me, but decided that if he was really interested, he wouldn't run at the sight of my normal appearance. I shoved my keys and phone into my pocket and head out to catch a cab.

* * *

**Little Star Cafe**

I exited the cab, after paying and thanking my driver, then walked up to the small cafe. I instantly spotted Tommy sitting at a booth in the corner. He stood and smiled at me as I approached, and I realized that he was even more attractive in the light. I took a moment to take in his appearance. The previous night, he's been dressed in a simple black and white suit, with no tie and the top two buttons opened.

Today, he was sporting a grey crew neck tee and dark blue jeans. The t-shirt fit snuggly to his body, showing off the ridges of his abs just the slightest bit. He was kind of skinny, but his muscles- while not bulging- were well defined. He smiled a bit, clearly trying to hide his surprise.

"You look different." He started off lamely, as I stood about two feet away from him.

"I know I'm not your usual type, so if you're going to run, now would be the time." I smiled half-heartedly, giving him the opportunity to back out. His grin widened over his perfect teeth, and he pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek.

"Are you _kidding_? And miss out on a beautiful woman like yourself?" He smiled, gesturing for me to sit. I slid into the booth, and Tommy slid in across from me as a waitress approached our table.

"Tommy Merlyn." She smiled seductively, completely ignoring me. She had legs for days and was slender with dark, straight hair falling over her shoulders. Her hazel eyes seemed to pierce into him. Tommy smiled awkwardly after glancing at me.

"Hi, Miranda." He greeted. "How've you been?"

"It's _Andrea_." She corrected, slightly annoyed. "You said you were going to call me." She whined, twirling brunette locks between her perfectly manicured fingers.

" _Miranda_ , I'd like to order now." I spoke up, eyeing her. She blinked and turned her attention over to me, her gaze burning a hole through mine. I saw Tommy smirk from my peripheral vision.

"It's _Andrea_." She said, begrudgingly, as she pointed to her name tag and rolled her eyes.

"I'd like a coffee with half-and-half and caramel. _Thanks_." I smiled at her, feigning a polite attitude. Andrea jotted my ordered down with a forced smile, before looking back to Tommy expectantly.

"Coffee, black, and two chocolate chip muffins." He said, his eyes trained on me. I shifted in my seat and swallowed, hoping he couldn't tell that his gaze made me nervous. I could feel my eyebrows furrow a bit, while I chewed on my lip, meeting his eyes.

"It's really cute that you do that." He smiled at me, when Andrea was gone. I felt the blush creep to my cheeks as I straightened my brows and released my bottom lip. "Please. Don't stop on my account."

"So... Tommy Merlyn." I started off.

"Felicity Smoak." He smiled back. I blushed, again, at the sound of name and looked down at my hands in my lap. "You know, there's no reason to be nervous." I smiled up at him, unsure of what to say, before he continued. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself, Felicity?"

"What do you want to know?" I asked, shifting in my seat.

"Everything." He answered simply, as a different waitress placed our respective coffees in front of us along with two small plates that held the muffins. I could smell their intoxicating chocolate warmth, and we both thanked the woman before she left. I picked up a crap ton of sugar packets, dumping them into my coffee cup one at a time. I glanced up to find Tommy watching my hands, a small smirk in place.

"What?" I asked with a small, embarrassed smile. His green eyes flicked up to my blue ones and he chuckled a bit.

"I take it, you like your coffee sweet." He smiled at me, and I giggled in response, picking up a stirrer from the small basket in between us.

"Sweet is an understatement." I smiled back, before sipping my coffee, as he chuckled.

"So, where are you from? I've never seen you around." He asked, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"I just moved here from Cambridge, Massachusetts." I started. "I lived in Central City when I was a kid, then my mom and I moved to Vegas when I was fouteen."

"A girl from Vegas," He started off, with a surprised tone. "You any good at poker?"

"I'm pretty good, but blackjack is more my strong suit." I answered before taking a small bite of the muffin. He was right, it was freshly baked and delicious. Tommy nodded appreciatively at my answer.

"You're a card counter, huh?" He smirked, and I shrugged in turn. "Impressive... kinda hot." He retorted, biting into his own muffin.

"What about you?" I asked, taking another sip of the sweet coffee.

"I'm a great card player, but blackjack never seems to agree with me." He chuckled. We spent the next 30 minutes just chatting away. I told him how Sara and I knew each other and shared a few stories about our mutual friend. We walked out of the coffee shop and stopped a few feet in front of it.

"This was nice." I smiled at him, and he flashed a charming smile right back.

"I'm glad you gave me a chance." He started. "I'd love to take you to dinner some time soon." Heat rushed to my face and I fiddled with my fingers.

"I'd like that." I responded in a small voice, looking down at my hands. His fingers slid under my chin, surprising me, and he gently tilted my head up. He green eyes were bright as he smiled down at me.

"I don't know what it is about you, Felicity Smoak, but you already have me wrapped around your finger." He said, barely above a whisper. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I promptly closed it back and swallowed nervously. The hand below my chin gently slid to cup face and his tongue flicked out to wet his lips. My eyes couldn't help but be drawn to his lips and he slowly leaned his face down to mine.

I found myself wanting his lips on mine, but when he was just centimeters away, he smiled at me.

"I'm gonna do this right, Miss Smoak." He whispered, his breath tickling my lips and making them tingle.

I _really_ wanted him to kiss me.

* * *

**Oliver Queen**

My eyes slowly opened and the first thing I noticed was a weight on my chest. I glanced down and inwardly panicked at the sight of fawn brown curls.

What the hell was she still doing here?

I told her to let herself out last night, yet here she was, lying on my chest. I frowned at the sight and gently poked at her shoulder to wake her. She lifted her head a flashed a tired grin at me.

"Oliver." She smiled. My frown still held in place, as I looked down at her.

"Katherine." I replied curtly. "What, um... what're you doing here?"

"It's Kimberly." She corrected me, with a roll of her eyes, her smile dropping.

"Right... Kimberly." I replied. I knew it was something with a 'K'. I cleared my throat before continuing. "So... Kimberly. What're still doing here?"

"I figured we could spend the day in bed, babe." She grinned seductively. I shook my head furiously at the pet name, sliding out from under her. I grabbed my discarded briefs from the floor and pulled them on quickly. Then I collected her discarded clothes and held them out to her.

"It was nice seeing you, Katie-"

"Kimberly!" She interrupted.

" _Kandice_ ," I continued. "But I need you to go." She glared at me, and if looks could kill, I'd be a dead man. She snatched her clothes from my hand, then tossed the small scrap of blue lace back at me. It hit my chest and fell to the floor.

"Something to remember me by." She smirked, dressing quickly and heading to leave my room. "I'll see you later, _babe_." She replied, and I forced a smile before waving her off. I shook my head then decided to grab a shower.

When I was refreshed and clean, I checked the time, seeing it was already after one, and decided to call Tommy. I vaguely remembered him talking to a blonde at the bar when I left the club with Kassandra. I didn't get a good look at her since her back was to me, but wondered if Tommy had gotten lucky with her last night.

" _Ollie!"_ His voice rang in my ears, when he answered. I could hear the over-excitement in his voice.

"Hey man, let's get lunch. I'm starving." I told him, sliding my keys and wallet into my jeans pocket.

" _Yeah bro, meet me at Big Belly in 20?"_ He asked.

"Yup, see you there." I replied, before hanging up and sticking my cell in my pocket.

* * *

**Big Belly Burger**

Tommy was already waiting for me when I walked in. I couldn't help but notice the goofy smile on his face, and wondered what was going on.

"I take it you got lucky with that blonde last night." I smirked sliding in across from him. He chuckled.

"Actually, no, but let's talk about your experience first." He laughed. The waitress came by and took our orders before leaving again.

"The chick wouldn't leave." I frowned, in reference to the girl, whose name I forgot once again. Tommy laughed openly, and I glared at him. "Dude, I woke up and she was still there. And last night she said to put a baby in her."

"Bro, I could've told you that was gonna happen." He laughed, making me realize that he'd already dealt with her.

"Why the _hell_ did you let me take her home then?" I asked, feigning hurt. "I would've settled for a quickie in the storage room." I laughed, just as the waitress returned with our food. She looked at me questioningly, having heard my last remark, then quickly scurried off. "So, what happened that got you so happy?" I asked, before taking a large bite of my cheeseburger. Tommy's face straightened out and he bit his lip.

"So, that blonde you saw me talking to last night..." he trailed off, his smile reappearing.

"The one you _didn't_ have sex with?" I asked, rhetorically, squinting at him.

"Yeah, her..." he trailed off again. "She shot me down last night." He said, popping a couple of fries into his mouth.

"So why are you so happy?" I asked, genuinely confused by how my best friend was acting.

"She shot me down, _then_ gave me her number... I had coffee with her this morning." He smiled brightly. I cocked my head at him, still unsure of why he was so excited about the girl he didn't sleep with.

" _Mhmm_..." I pushed, waiting for him to explain.

"I like her, man." He beamed. "Like, really like her."

_What?_

A laughed escaped my lips, and I shook my head skeptically. I looked at Tommy and noticed him frowning at me before I stopped.

"I'm serious." He said, the tone of his voice proving that. My face straightened out and I tried to picture my wingman in a committed relationship.

I couldn't.

But he was my best friend, so I was going to support him either way.

"Well, that's good for you, man. If you like her then go for it." I encouraged with a genuine smile. "Besides, if you start dating her, then more chicks for me." I joked, biting into my burger. His smile, once again, returned.

"Thanks for your support bro. I appreciate it." He nodded at me.

"Tell me about her." I demanded, wanting to know more about the woman who stole my friend's attention. His entire face lit up and he stared into space for a moment.

"She's perfect," he started seriously. "She so damn hot, dude, like _sexy_ hot. And she's smart. Kinda had that whole 'sexy librarian' thing going on. And her _ass_..." he trailed off shaking his head, and biting into his burger.

"Don't tell me she has you whipped already." I laughed at his lovestruck expression.

"She definitely does." He smirked, with a mouthful of food. He swallowed before continuing, "I, uh, was wondering if I could ask you for a huge favor." He said nervously.

"Yeah, man, what's up?" I asked sipping at my iced tea, wishing it was the Long Island kind.

"Can you handle Verdant solo tomorrow night?" He asked, pushing his words all together. "It's just... I'm taking her on a date tomorrow." I nodded, without hesitation.

"Hell yea, man." I agreed, without having to think about it. If a girl got my best friend giddy like this, he definitely deserved the chance to explore his feelings for her. "So, where you taking her?"

"I think dinner from 'Chateaux Noir' at the penthouse." He smiled. "It'll be a plus if I can get laid, too, but I'm just glad she's even giving me a chance." He said with a sigh.

"Well, many blessings tha get laid." I grinned, genuinely happy for my friend.

"Thanks," he laughed. We continued our lunch in conversation, making plans for our next Friday Night Fest at Verdant.

* * *

**Tommy**

There was only an hour left until Felicity would be arriving, and I found myself in a frenzy. I had everything set up in the living room of my penthouse for tonight. I even had my bedroom set up, (and a nightstand stocked with condoms)... just in case. The white carpet was adorned with red and pink rose petals and a round table- covered with a white tablecloth- sat in the middle of the room. The food was currently being prepared at Chateaux Noir and set to be delivered ten minutes before her arrival.

My original plan has included a waiter and violinist, but Sara stopped me.  
I had intended on pulling out all the stops tonight, but she assured me that Felicity was a simple girl, and this would be more than enough.

I had already showered and blow dried my hair, styling it as usual. I had to admit that I looked pretty damn sharp in my black tux. I opted not to wear a tie, deciding that I didn't want this date to seem too formal. I had buttoned up my shirt, then looked at myself in the mirror, before deciding to leave the top two buttons open. It was more my style and I didn't want it to seem like I was trying to be someone I'm not.

Wow.

I've never cared this much about what a girl thought of me. But here I am stressing about it now. This feeling was so foreign to me. I've always kind of been a 'ladies man' so to speak. I've thought girls were cute, but I never cared enough to develop a crush on one. I felt like I had just discovered how shallow I was. I suddenly found myself wanting to change. Felicity wasn't a shallow girl, and she was only one of three girls to ever reject me. I didn't bother chasing the other two girls. But _Felicity_ had me captivated simply from the image of her laughing at the bar. Her blonde hair had appeared to be changing colors due to the pulsing lights. I had instantly developed my first crush and I felt pretty damn good about it. I honestly liked her.

I checked the time on my phone, finding that it was already 8:35p.m. I had fifteen minutes until the food was delivered. That meant 25 minutes until she got here. My nerves spiked a bit. I felt a little giddy, like a ten year old, at the thought of Felicity coming here. To my place. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I'm Tommy-fucking-Merlyn. I didn't get nervous.

I headed out to the kitchen and began grabbing the dishes, so that I could set the table. Soon I had it all set, with a bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947, since Sara told me that Felicity loves red wine. I cost nearly thirty four grand, but my trust fund could definitely take the hit, it was nothing. My father's a real dick, and I did wish that he cared more, but at least he set me up with a sick amount of money once I turned twenty one. It's been three years, and I've spent more than I know, but still have a few billions.

I heard a knock on the door and it snapped me out of my thoughts. Peering at my watch, I saw that it was 8:50p.m., and I opened up the front door, to find a man in white with a large bag.

"Good evening, Mr. Merlyn. My name is David, from Chateaux Noir. I have your delivery." He said in monotone. I thanked him and allowed him to prep the food so that it was presented nicely. I ordered grilled steak with salsa verde and roasted potatoes as the main course, knowing that it would pair perfectly with the wine.

When David finally left, I could feel my palms sweating. It was 8:57 and my heart was pounding. I decided that I'd use the next few minutes to calm down and get my game face on. Besides, who's to say that she's going to arrive at nine on the dot? As soon as I took a deep breath, I heard the knock. I shook out my nerves and pulled the door open. So much for having a few minutes.

* * *

**Felicity**

Thank Heavens for Sara.

She helped Tommy plan our date and told me that I needed to dress fancy, but sexy. She very adamant about her "no spanx, no undies" rule. A decent amount of clothes had been unpacked and put away, as well as my basic needs. I sifted through my closet in search of something to wear, when I heard a knock.

Of course I open it to find Sara and she has a small duffel bag over her shoulder. She pushed me into my living room, making me sit on a chair, that thankfully the movers brought yesterday afternoon, along with the rest of the furniture.

Sara quickly side parted, then curled my hair in loose body waves. She then applied makeup to my face, giving me a natural but glowy look. She finished the look off with a bold red lip. She retrieved a pair of cubic zirconia studs from the bag along with an inch thick matching choker.

She handed me a flurry of red fabric and demanded that I wear my red pumps from the previous night. Sara also made sure that she reminded me what a big deal this was since Tommy apparently never goes on dates. The dress had inch thick straps with sweetheart neckline, and tightly clung to my body. It stopped a few inches below my knees, with a six inch split on one side. I felt pretty hot, and inwardly hoped that Tommy would like it.

So here I was, standing in front of his door, knees shaking and palms sweating, attempting to mentally prepare myself. It wasn't so much as a hallway that I was standing in, it looked more like a small waiting area, and was dimly lit, but intricately decorated. I could tell that a lot of effort went into the interior design and began to feel curious as to what the inside of his place looked like. I checked the time, seeing that I was just a few minutes early, and took a deep breath before knocking.

Almost instantly, the door swung open, and Tommy stood there, (looking incredible in his suit, btw), with a huge smile on his face. He placed a hand on my upper arm, and leaned in to peck my cheek.

"You look absolutely stunning." He smiled at me, before holding out his hand for me to take. "Shall we?"

"Let's do it!" I smiled, excitedly taking his hand, then mentally face palmed myself as he led me inside. "And by do it I mean start our date, not do it like that kind of do it. I'm not coming onto you, I mean it's our first date, and I'm not that kind of girl, even though it's been a bit of a dry spell and you totally didn't need to know, oh God please stop me!"

I let out a shaky exhale, mentally cursing myself. Way to go, Felicity. What better way to scare off a hot guy than to babble about sex? I counted down from three in my head before lifting my head to look at his expression- only to find that he was clearly amused.

"Why, Miss Smoak, I definitely wouldn't mind you coming on to me." He murmured, pausing just outside of a door way. He was blocking my view inside, but I could see that the lights were dimmed. I could feel the heat rise to me face and figured that I was now the same color as my dress. "By the way, that was by far the cutest thing ever." He smiled.

"Really?" I asked, disbelief on my face. "Most guys find it annoying." Tommy shook his head with a smirk.

"Well contrary to popular belief, I'm not most guys." He retorted. "You ready?" He then asked, and regardless of his persona, I could see that he was actually nearly as nervous as I was. I gave him a sharp nod with a smile, before stepping aside.

I took in the beautiful view before me, first noting the gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows. It was a humongous living room, like two of my apartments big. A black carpet, topped with countless pink and red rose petals, covered the floor. One side of the room had a glass coffee table in between two white, and very cozy looking, sofas. There was a huge flat screen TV mounted to the wall, and below it a glass entertainment center filled with movies and video games. There were a few picture frames on top of it, but I hadn't focused on them long enough to see who were of.

The opposite wall held a bookshelf, and I noted that Tommy owned a lot of the "books for dummies" series, and a small giggle escaped my lips. I wasn't sure if he'd heard it, (considering that he was standing behind me), but I'd he did, he didn't say anything. There was also a series of pristine novels, and on the top shelf I spotted some autographed baseball cards and baseball in individual glass cases.

The opposite side of the living room held a round table with a pristine white table cloth. I could already see my clumsy myself spilling some of that fancy red wine on it. There were two dishes set across from each other and covered with a silver lid. In the center of the table were two chunky, red candles, beautifully illuminating the area. The bottle of wine wasn't far off. I knew that Tommy was a billionaire and I instantly wondered how much money he'd spent on it.

I slowly turned around to see Tommy looking back at me, clearly waiting for me to say something. He looked slightly nervous and was chewing on the very corner of his bottom lip and I tipped my head at him with a small smile.

" I stated, my voice low.

His eyes widened slightly before he said, "is it too much?" I giggled at his reaction and closed the three feet of space between us. I placed my hands on his biceps, and saw his Adam's apple move slightly as he swallowed. In my four inch heels, I was about eye level with it.

I attempted to do the 'sex eye squinty thingy' that Sara taught me, right after she snatched my glasses and threw them behind my bed. Prior to that action, she had said, and I quote, " _Felicity if you wear those things on this date, so help me God, I will smash them to pieces with a hammer and feed it to you."_

Tommy's gorgeous green eyes stared down into my blue ones. I could tell that he'd read my signal because his hands went to my waist, and his slowly leaned his head down.

* * *

**Tommy**

Red is _really_ her color. "You look absolutely stunning." I told her, before holding out my hand. "Shall we?" Damn, now I really did hope I got laid after dinner, because she'd be a hell of a dessert. She gave me a small smile before taking my hand.

"Let's do it!" She had the cutest smile on her face when she said that. Without her glasses, her bright blue eyes seemed even bluer. I began leading her to the living room, "And by do it I mean start our date, not do it like that kind of do it. I'm not coming onto you, I mean it's our first date, and I'm not that kind of girl, even though it's been a bit of a dry spell and you totally didn't need to know that, oh God please stop me!"

_Whoa_.

That was a new one. A dry spell, huh? I was hoping I could break that spell tonight, because the way her dress hugged her curves and accentuated her waist was just...

I couldn't help but smile at the way she babbled. She was so nervous and it was adorable. She lowered her head and took a deep breath. When she looked back up at me, I was staring at her, beyond amused.

"Why, Miss Smoak, I definitely wouldn't mind you coming on to me." I murmured, flirtatiously, pausing just outside of the living room doorway. I stooped and faced her, blocking her view inside. Standing in front of me, I noticed that even with her heels, the top of her head reached just below my bottom lip. "By the way, that was by far the cutest thing ever." I said.

"Really?" She asked, skeptically. "Most guys find it annoying."

Those guys are fucking idiots. I shook my head and smirked at her.

"Well contrary to popular belief, I'm not most guys." I smiled down at her . "You ready?" I asked, nervously. I was pretty excited for her to see the work that Sara and I did to set up this date. She gave me a small nod and smiled, so I stepped to the side, making a dramatic reveal. Felicity's eyes popped open and she slowly stepped inside. I followed her in and stopped a few feet behind her.

I felt like my eyes were burning a hole in the back of her head, waiting for her to say something. Sara told me that money meant nothing to Felicity and wouldn't impress her. In fact, it would piss her off. She slowly looked around the entire room, and I felt like she was trying to burn it into her memory.

It felt like hours before she finally, slowly, turned to face me.

" _Thomas Merlyn_." Her voice was low and steady. My eyes widened a bit.

"Is it too much?" I asked, making her giggle. She slowly approached me, closing the space between us, but her head pulled back to look up at me. Her hands went to my upper arms, gently, and I attempted to swallow my nerves. I didn't kiss her yesterday, but dammit I was about to now. She coyly, squinted her eyes at me, and that was all the permission I needed before I gently took hold of her waist and leaned my head down to hers.

Her red lips were demanding but gentle as we slowly nipped at each other lips. I flicked out my tongue, practically begging for entrance, and felt her smirk against my mouth, before gently pulling away.

"That's all you've earned so far." She smiled, trying to be seductive, but coming off as cute- still a turn on though. "Play your cards right, and we'll see where the night takes us." I swore my pants got tighter. I gave her a tight smile in took her hand in mine, leading her to the table.

Dinner started off a little quiet, considering that we were both a bit nervous. I moved my chair perpendicular to hers, then took a few sips of wine and tried to spark up a conversation. Why the hell was this girl making me so nervous?

"So, Miss Smoak, what do you like to do in your spare time?" I asked, setting my glass back down on the table.

"Hacki- I mean, just _computer stuff_." She smirked, before popping a small piece of steak in her mouth, then setting her fork down. I returned her smirk when I realized that she was about to say hacking.

"Miss Smoak, I didn't take for such a rebel." I chuckled, then reached out to touch the industrial piercing in her ear, causing her to blush. "Though _this_ thing should've been my first clue." She bit her lip nervously, not looking at me. "Don't be shy, I don't bite... at least not very hard." I smirked, still fiddling with her piercing. I saw her lips tighten, and she quickly clenched her legs together, still avoiding eye contact. She quickly cleared her throat before speaking.

"I'm an ex-hacktivist." She said, watching me from her peripherals before she took her last bite of food.

"A _hacktivist_?" I asked, confused. What the hell was that? She sighed, then finally looked at me. I dropped my hand from her ear to her delicious thigh, which was covered by her dress.

_Damn, I wanted my face between those thighs._

"I went to MIT and in my second year, I joined a group of hacktivists. We hacked into federal databases and exposed corruption. Now. _You_ need to tell me one of _your_ secrets, Mr. Merlyn." She smiled, expectantly. I smirked at her, wondering if she had any clue just how charismatic she is.

"Okay, fair enough." I murmured, sliding my hand slowly up her thigh. I could feel her shudder beneath my touch and I placed a small kiss on her exposed shoulder- her eyes boring into mine all along. I may not read books, but I can definitely read women, and I knew that I had her wet by now. Her pupils darkened, those bright blue eyes almost black, and I remembered what she said earlier.

_'..it's been a bit of a dry spell...'_

Alright, time to turn up the Merlyn charm. I licked my lips, and leaned in a little closer to her face, our lips just inches apart.

" _Miss Smoak_." I started, my voice low. She was shuddering beneath my hand, blush touching her cheeks, and her tongue flicked out to wet her lips. "You're the first girl I've ever wanted date."

* * *

**Felicity**

" _Miss Smoak_." His seductive voice murmured. Against my own will, I quickly licked my lips in anticipation of what was to come "You're the first girl I've ever wanted to date."

It honestly warmed my heart to hear him say that, simply because Sara, (who pretty much grew up with him), had told me the same thing.

_"Felicity," she said, sitting beside me on my bed once I was fully dressed. I raised my eyebrows at her in question with a small smile. "I know it may feel like I'm pressuring you into this date, and I know that you know all about Tommy's playboy ways, but I think this is actually pretty important to him. He's never actually dated a girl, let alone asked one out. And we're not even gonna get started on the fact that you haven't had sex since Cooper Seldon. I'm very disappointed in you by the way. But... just give Tommy a chance. I promise you that if this is all BS, then me and Nyssa will jump his ass. But I know him, and I know he's at least got a bit of a crush on you, even after you rejected him."_

Maybe Tommy really did like me. And I couldn't help it if he was charming me to my core... like literally. My thighs were getting a little uncomfortable from the wetness, and the fact that Sara made me go commando so I won't have a "tacky ass panty line", did nothing to help. Tommy eyes felt genuine and it's been two years since Cooper. I'm twenty-one, why not live a little?

So I took a shot in the dark, and closed the distance between our lips, going for exactly what I wanted. And what I wanted right now, was to put an end to this "dry spell", as I so eloquently called it earlier tonight.

I sucked his bottom lip between my teeth, and he jumped just the slightest bit, surprised at my demand for him. My hands cupped his clean shaven face, just as I slipped my tongue into his mouth. His right hand was gripping my thigh tightly, and he pulled his lips away from mine, but the still hovered.

" _Felicity_." He growled, sending my heart into an erratic beat. "Don't start something you're not gonna finish. I like you, but I also _really_ want your thighs around my face, and I'm gonna be pissed if you leave me with blue balls tonight." A small giggle burst through my lips at his bluntness. I quickly schooled my face and made a, more than likely, failed attempt at a seductive face.

"Take me to your room, Mr. Merlyn." I whispered.

* * *

**Oliver**

It's been about a week since Tommy told me about the girl he's seeing: Felicity Smoak, aka _Smoakin' Hot._ I haven't been seeing much of Tommy since he started "dating" Felicity.

The word alone made me shudder. The first and last girl I ever dated was Laurel Lance. Relationships just weren't my thing. We were together for two years and I definitely cheated on her almost every other night with a random girl at Verdant. I'm still not sure why she put up with me for so long. The straw that broke her back was when she'd caught me flirting with Sara's friend from camp.

I then started to wonder about that girl. I didn't know her name, but that didn't matter. She was pretty cute, and if I'd had my way, she would've been another girl that I'd cheated on Laurel with. She was a brunette, my favorite, with purple highlights and blue eyes. I recall making some comments about tracing the alphabet with my tongue, which left her in speechless anger. She quickly shot me down when I asked for her name, and Laurel happened to have been walking in at that moment, having heard it all.

I walked through the lobby of, Queen Consolidated, shaking away my thoughts. Today was my first day taking over as CEO, and so far it's been alright. I'd just come from having lunch with Tommy, and he'd practically begged me to make sure that Felicity, (who he's even taken to calling his girlfriend), got hired. Right. My best friend's girlfriend, was interviewing here today. Of course as CEO, I'd look out for him.

I was running late for a meeting, having had taken my time returning from lunch, since I'd decided to visit my father's grave after. It was now 12:59pm and I saw the elevator just starting to close. "Hold it!" I called out to the figure inside, as I jogged to the doors. Her hand flicked out and she held the door until I was inside. I stepped in beside her with a smile. "Thank you."

"No problem," the beautiful blonde smiled back, as the doors closed. She pushed for the fifteenth floor and I pushed for the forty-fifth. The girl was gorgeous to say the least. She had her blonde hair pulled up into a neat ponytail with dark purple framed glasses. She was dress in a bright pink button up with a grey pencil skirt, that made her ass beyond tantalizing. "Are you going to continue to shamelessly check me out?" She asked, with a roll of her eyes.

"Check you out? It was more like mentally undressing you." I murmured, and just the the elevator shuddered and stopped.

"No, no no no." She groaned with a shake of her head.

"Don't worry, babe, that just gives us some time to get to know each other." I smiled and she glared at me.

"Do you _seriously_ not remember me?" She asked, squinting her blue eyes at me, forcing me to think back. I already know her?

"Did we sleep together?" I retorted, genuinely confused. She raised an eyebrow at me and scoffed.

"You _wish_." She huffed, folding her arms in annoyance. I cocked my head at her.

"Then might I ask why you seem to despise me so much?" I asked.

"I don't know, is _tracing the alphabet_ still your best pick up line?" She glared at me. Sara's friend.

"You're the hot brunette that used to hang out with Sara." I smiled at her, suddenly finding my new mission. The elevator jerked, and began to move, and I noticed her sigh in relief. The ride was silent until she got off.

"Goodbye, Mr. Queen." She huffed before stepping off.

* * *

**Verdant**

The music was bumping as Tommy and I sat at the bar, taking in the scene around us. Tommy's girlfriend was coming tonight, and he was excited to finally introduce us. I took a sip of my scotch and turned to him.

"Bro, I almost forgot to tell you," I started off, loud enough so he could hear me over the music. "You remember the mystery brunette I told you about? The one that Laurel broke up with me over?"

"How could I forget?" He laughed. "I bet if it had been me, she totally would've let me hit that. You're losing your game, man."

"Says the guy with a _girlfiend_ ," I retorted, making him chuckle before he sipped at his brandy. "I ran into her at QC today."

"No _fucking_ way, dude." He smirked, looking at me. "You know what this means right?"

"Oh, I know _exactly_ what it means." I smirked back.

"Five grand says she _still_ won't let you hit."

"Oh yeah? Ten grand says I'll have her screaming my name before the end of the week." I retaliated.

"Deal!" He called, sticking out his hand for me to shake. We shook on it before he spoke again. "There she is." He smiled nodding his head towards the entrance.

She wore a short gold dress that clung to her every curve, with gold heels, and her blonde locks, wavy over her shoulders. She was the epitome of sexy. She was my best friends girlfriend.

And she was the girl we'd just bet on.


	2. Chapter 2

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=16a752t)  
**Chapter Two**

**Tommy**

Felicity walked towards Oliver and I, and once she was close enough, I quickly enveloped her in my arms. I noticed that Oliver froze up a bit as I was greeting her, and I turned to introduce him.

"Lis, this is my best friend, Oliver Queen. Ollie, this is my girlfriend, Felicity." I smiled, pressing a kiss to her temple. Neither of them said anything, instead Felicity glared at Ollie, who had a deer-in-headlights expression glued to his face. "Am I missing something here?" I asked, looking between the two. Felicity smiled up at me, before excusing herself to get a drink. Once she was at the opposite end of the bar, I turned my head to Ollie, expectantly.

"I'm gonna be a hundred percent honest with you because you're my best friend," he started, causing my eyes to squint in confusion as I looked at him. "Felicity is the girl I was just telling you about."

My eyes nearly popped out of my head.

"Well, then..." I started, in slight disbelief, before reeling it in to lighten the mood. "I guess I win the bet, cause you're _definitely_ not hitting that." He chuckled, looking slightly relieved by my response, but the relief was momentary.

"That's not all." He said, his features turning serious again, causing mine to do the same. "I definitely, openly hit on her earlier at QC, though she bruised my ego pretty bad. I swear man, if I knew it was the same girl, I wouldn't have done that."

"Relax, bro," I sighed, it being my turn to be relieved that it was nothing more than that. "I know you wouldn't do something like that on purpose. I trust you, man. Just now that you know, stop picturing my girlfriend naked." I nudged him with my elbow, and saw him loosen up back to carefree Ollie.

"Well, while your girl's talking to Sara, help me find my next conquest." He replied, eyes scanning the club.

"How about Adrianna Spencer?" I asked pointing to the dark haired girl, who was currently grinding on another girl, on the dance floor.

"Which one is Adrianna?" He asked, looking in the direction that I pointed.

"The one who looks like the chick from Twilight." I answered, before he turned to me, looking confused.

"What the hell is Twilight?" He asked, causing me to shake my head and laugh. Between running the club, running QC, and running through girls, the man never has time for pop culture. He doesn't even know what twitter is... the dude's a dinosaur.

"You are so better off not knowing." I smirked, making him frown. "The dark haired chick, now go get 'em, tiger." I joked, as Felicity approached, some fruity drink in hand. Ollie was about to approach Adrianna, but stopped himself and turned to Felicity.

"It's nice to meet you, Felicity, I apologize for earlier. Had I known you were my best friend's girl, none of that would've happened." He apologized sincerely.

"Well, thank you for the apology, Mr. Queen. I appreciate it." She replied, offering him a small smile.

"Just Oliver outside the workplace," He smiled back, with a slight nod, "and I owed it to."

"Cool, so is it safe to say that my best friend and my girlfriend are gonna be civilized?" I asked, looking between them. It was really important to me that they got along.

"I think so," Felicity smiled up at me, as she slid an arm around me. I placed a quick kiss on her lips.

"Cool." I whispered, against her lips.

"Alright, well I'm gonna go get the chick from the Twilight Zone, thanks Tom." Ollie smirked, setting his, now empty, glass on the bar.

"It's just Twilight," I laughed in response, as he head towards Adrianna.

"Tom?" Felicity smirked. "So, is this what you guys do?" Felicity asked, pursing those sexy, red lips at me.

"What do you mean, babe?" I asked innocently, before setting my glass down, and winding my arms around her waist to pull her close. One of her arms slid around my neck, the other still holding her drink, (what I assumed was a _Sex on the Beach_ ), as I pressed her back to the bar.

"Oh, you know, scouring the club for potentially hot... _chicks_ ," she paused looking directly in my eyes, "to take home?" She finished with a small cock of head, smirking again.

"Somebody's peanut butter and _jealous_!" I teased, dragging out the last syllable, then pecking her lips. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at me.

"I'm stealing that. I can't wait for someone to give me a reason to use that line." She smirked up at me, then sipped her drink.

"Well, you know a girl is really yours, when she starts stealing your lingo." I chuckled before capturing her sweet lips again and giving her waist a gentle squeeze. "And I'm not looking for anyone else, babe, I got the prettiest girl in Starling right here." I said, smirked, making her giggle.

"Just in _Starling_? Ouch!" She feigned hurt.

"How about the most beautiful girl in the _universe_? Is that cheesy enough for you?" I smirked. She smiled at me before quickly finishing her drink, and putting her glass on the bar. Her hand that was still on my neck slid down my chest for a moment, before crossing over to my arm to take my hand. Even in her heels, she had to stand on her toes to put her lips to my ear. The simple action had gotten me hard and I knew she'd felt it against her because her hand quickly gave mine a firm squeeze. I was two seconds from taking her up to my office and bending her over my desk.

"Come dance with me, _Tom_." She whispered seductively before leading me to the dance floor.

* * *

**Oliver Queen**

I brought Adrianna back to the loft, but couldn't get Felicity Smoak out of my head. More so, I couldn't stop feeling guilty for wishing that sleeping with _her_ instead. It's funny because brunettes had always been my favorite, but I suddenly felt like I had a thing for blondes.

I remembered meeting her like it was yesterday. She was much different, like going through a goth phase different, and I really didn't notice that it was the same person. She was sixteen, maybe seventeen, that summer, but I was twenty. Yeah, I know it looks bad, but I didn't know how old she was until Laurel mentioned it while yelling at me.

And speaking of Laurel, I was over at her place, since her father wasn't home, when she had told me Sara's engine burned out, in the middle of the road, about four miles away. She wanted to take a shower before they got there, so she asked me to pick them up.

_I got out of my black, 2012 Bentley Continental GT, and approached Sara and her friend. Sara let out a sigh of relief at my arrival. "Thanks so much, Ollie." She smiled, giving me a one-armed hug, while her other hand was holding the handle to a purple, wheeled suitcase. I returned it with one arm of my own, not taking my eyes off of the gorgeous, brunette goth. "I already called the tow company. The came and picked up Cindy." She said sadly, referring to her Comet that she named, promptly after test driving it._

_But I was barely listening since I was too busy stating at her brunette friend that was chewing on her bottom lip._

_Her dark hair had vibrant streaks of purple, and was tied up into a messy bun. She wasn't wearing much makeup aside from her dark purple lipstick and heavy, black eyeliner, which made her blue eyes pop. She was wearing a pair of short denim shorts and a black tanktop. She had a dark grey flannel tied around her small waist and black converse._

_I couldn't help but lick my lips at the sight of her. She wasn't my usual type, but she was so fucking hot. Sara pulled out of our embrace and I turned to her friend, approaching with my hand out to shake._

_"Hi, I'm Oliver, and let me just tell you, you're_ absolutely _gorgeous." I flashed my million dollar smile, but her face told me that she was less than impressed._

 _"Hi, I'm uninterested," she started sarcastically, with a smirk, "and let me just tell you, I'm_ absolutely _uninterested, Mr. Queen."_

_So she knew who I was, and I suddenly wondered if Sara warned her about me. I decided to try and turn up my charm. No girl had turned me down before, and I suddenly found myself wanting her even more._

_"Just Oliver," I smiled, as Sara loaded her friend's bags into the car. "Mr. Queen was my father."_

_"Yeah, but he died." She blurted out, leaving me taken aback. "I mean he drowned... with the supermodel-y woman he was cheating on your mom with, but it could've been worse, at least it was the mistress and not your mom, and-"_

_"-and your dating my_ freaking _sister, Ollie." Sara intergected, glaring at me. "Are you_ really _gonna flirt with my best friend in front of me while you're dating Laurel?"_

_Laurel, who?_

_The brunette walked past me_ _and got into the back seat with Sara._

_**Later that Day** _

_Laurel was in the shower and I got bored sitting in her room, so I went downstairs to see what Sara and her friend was up to. I poked my head into the living room, surprised to see Sara alone. She was sitting on the couch with her feet curled under her. The movie they were watching was paused and she was texting on her phone._

_I turned and walked towards the kitchen, and but of course temptation struck. Sara's friend was bent over in front of the fridge, retrieving something I couldn't see. Her dark, wavy hair was down now, (longer than I'd expected), and some fell around the sides of her face. My eyes couldn't help but trail down to her round ass in those shorts. Thank God, it was summer._

_She stood, closed the fridge and turned around, instantly yelping when she saw me. Her eyes popped open, one hand flying to her chest, while the other held a bottle of water._

_"Jesus! Didn't your mother teach you not to sneak up on people!" She yelled, and I couldn't resist but the chuckle at her reaction. This clearly pissed her off because she folded her arms, and glared at me._

_"I'm sorry..." I trailed off, silently asking for her name. She rolled her eyes._

_"My name is none of your concern, Mr. Queen." She said, moving to walk away. Before she could get far, I approached her spot near the counter, placing my hands on it and bracketing her between my arms. "Can you move?" She hissed._

_"You know..." I trailed off, licking my lips as my eyes trailed over her tantalizing body. "I have this impressive talent-"_

_"Good for you, now move it." She interrupted quickly._

_"I would love to pull down these jean shorts," I started, bringing my index finger through the belt loop, "and let you feel me tracing the alphabet with my tongue. Guaranteed to make you scream my name before I even get to the D." Her eyes popped open, but she was staring at something over my shoulder._

_"Ollie! Are you fucking serious right now?!" Laurel yelled out._

I shook my head free of all thoughts _'Felicity Smoak'_ related as I got into the QC elevator. Our IT department was still relatively new, and as CEO, I was expected to go down there and spend an hour and a half with each of our five workers. It was safe to say that, (with me being a non-tech-savvy person), today was going right be long and boring.

But at least it gave me a chance to see Felicity Smoak.

* * *

**Felicity**

I sat in my cubicle, chewing on a red pen, as I typed furiously on my computer. I was working on a new program, like the company's filing system, but online and easier to use, while keeping sensitive information as protected as possible. In the midst of my speedster-like typing, I heard a throat clear. I looked up to find Oliver standing there, then he smiled and pulled a chair up next to mine.

"I thought evaluations weren't until Wednesday." I stated, pen still between my teeth, as I turned my head to look at the small Hello Kitty calendar I had pinned to my cubicle wall.

"It _is_ Wednesday, Miss Smoak." He smirked.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I'm not usually so disorganized, it's just that I've been working so hard on this new program and I've must've lost track of the days." I replied nervously.

"Not a problem. Tell me a bit about this project. Mr. Steele seemed pretty excited about it." He said, looking around at my cubicle decor.

"Right, so it's really just a Queen Consolidated Online Filing System, or QCOFS for short." I started excitedly, feeling a tech-babble coming on. "This program will not only eliminate the use of paper, thus saving trees and making QC look better to the public for going green, but it will have organized sections for each and every file in the building. You'll never have to flip through a boatload of papers again in search of one document. All you do click the search button and type the name of the document, and before you even blink, bam! It's there waiting for you.

This program will hold a compressed folder of sorts, for each file type. For example, the 'Employee' folder will have all of our information that you guys have on file." I said, dragging my mouse to open said folder. Oliver genuinely looked interested in what I was saying, and I was surprised that he'd been managing to keep up. Both Sara and Tommy's eyes had glazed over during this explanation.

"So this is what it looks like right now," I started, gesturing to the screen, and turning my body slightly to face him, as he looked over the screen. "You see, here will hold all of our names, addresses, contracts we've signed here, evaluation grades, salaries, notes you may have, even our social security numbers!"

"But how do we ensure that the social security numbers are protected against hackers?" He asked, finally looking back up at me.

"Wow, I don't think I've never noticed how attractive he is." I muttered, before realizing what I did. "Please tell me I didn't just say that out loud!"

He chuckled and murmured, "Miss Smoak, I don't think it's very appropriate to talk about how attractive you think I am, when you're dating my best friend. But for what it's worth, I think you're very attractive." His pupils were darkening, and I turned my eyes back to the screen, before licking my suddenly dry lips. Geez, did it just get hot in here?

"So, I'm working on a secondary program, pretty much a firewall, but it's very ambitious. I've been talking with employees from Applied Science, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to need their help. I intend for this firewall to be strong enough that it's theoretically unhackable. The entire QCOFS will be protected against every hacking trick in the book, even the skeleton key." I rambled, hardly breathing between words.

"That _is_ ambitious.. and will probably require a budget increase?" He asked.

"More than likely, but Walt- I mean _Mr. Steele_ thought that you might like it since you're not too good with computers." I replied nervously, as he chuckled.

"It does seem very easy to use. I'm impressed." He smiled at me, his dimples literally taking my breath away. "Any budget increase that's needed, let me know. I think this program would be very beneficial to Queen Consolidated, so I'm more than happy to personally invest it."

"Thanks," I smiled back, surprised. New projects always required a third-party investor, but he was willing to invest his own money into it. Even though, my first two experiences with him sucked, he's proven to be a nice guy behind the 'Ollie Queen' facade. He's was definitely smarter than he'd let on regardless of dropping out of four colleges. It's actually pretty incredible that he's only twenty-four years old running a multi-billion dollar company.

He beckoned for me to tell him more, so I continued. "Every employee will have access to their own file. We'll all have an access code of our choosing that grants us access to the files we've been allowed to. So since I work in the IT department, I'll only have access to the files you allow me to. This will keep any prodding eyes from looking at things they aren't supposed to, like investor files and such."

"How long do you think this project will take?" He then asked.

"As long as everything stays on my time frame and there's no setbacks, I'd say another six months." He nodded, accepting my answer. The rest of our time went on mainly with him watching me work and asking questions about what I was doing from time to time. He thought that I didn't notice him staring at me when he thought I wasn't looking.

* * *

**Oliver**

Two months had passed and we were back to August. Tommy and Felicity seemed to be pretty serious, and I was happy for them. Tommy is like a brother to me, and I now considered Felicity a friend. Sara and I went to dinner with them a few times and we hung out at each other's houses.

The _only_ times that I was alone with Felicity was at QC.

At some point after her evaluation, I'd started bringing her coffee, (with half-and-half, caramel, and enough sugar to rot her teeth), every morning. I'd have lunch with her from time to time, and we'd usually just talk about QCOFS. But one day we'd just started talking about our personal lives. She told me about living in Central City as a kid, and meeting Sara at summer camp. She'd been to the Lance's house many more times when I just so happened not to be there.

She told me about her mom moving them to Las Vegas, and living in a fancy hotel with a casino, which her mother worked in. She was so bright when she talked about certain memories, her face would light up and she would talk with her hands- her blonde ponytail swaying all the while.

I felt like such an ass about the way I spoke to her the first two times that we'd met. Felicity was simply beautiful and innocent. Every time I complimented her, she'd fold in her fuchsia lips as though she's trying to keep from smiling. Her cheeks would go pink and and she'd fidget with her, always painted, finger nails. She had the incredible talent of incidental innuendos and would babble herself into a hole. I'd noticed that anytime she does that, she closes her eyes and counts down from three under her breath. It was somehow the most beautiful thing, aside from her laugh.

The guilt began to set in as I realized what was happening here. I was falling for my best friend's girlfriend.

* * *

**Tommy**

"Are you seriously watching this _again_?" I asked with a laugh, walking into the master bedroom of the penthouse. Felicity was sprawled across the bed on her stomach, TV remote in hand, wearing just my navy blue t-shirt from last night. Her curls, from the previous night, looked as if she'd brushed them this morning and her glasses were perched on her nose.

"The Lion King is my favorite movie! How do you _not_ love it?" She asked, dramatically, making me laugh. I loved that she could make me laugh. I climbed into bed with her in just my briefs, and pulled her in to my chest, one of her legs thrown across my torso.

"I _don't_ mind it, but you always cry when Scar kills Mustafa." I murmured, twirling her blonde hair between my fingers, while my other arm held her against me. She smiled up at me, her blue eyes sparkling. I leaned my head down as she tipped hers up and gave her a quick kiss. It used to be strange having girls sleep over, so I avoided it at all costs. But I didn't mind waking up next to Felicity the times she did stay over and I definitely didn't mind having her around the house.

"What's the plan for today?" I asked, as she sat up and straddled me, her back to the TV as the movie played. "I like this plan." I smirked, letting my fingers caress her thighs beneath the t-shirt hem.

"Lunch at Big Belly with Sara and Oliver and dinner with your dad tonight." She smiled, gently moving her hips, feeding my growing erection.

"How about lunch with Sara and Ollie, _then_ I take you to the movies tonight?" I offered, sliding my hands further under the shirt. Her small hands, now with blue painted nails, cupped my face before she leaned down and kissed me. I slid my hands around to her back, wrapping my arms around the waist of my beautiful girlfriend. She broke the kiss but kept her lips close to mine.

"You're ready to make our relationship exclusive?" She asked with a smile. Even though we'd been seeing each other for almost three months, we'd kept our relationship private from everyone but our friends. But now I wanted the world to know that she was with me. I didn't mind the paparazzi catching pictures of us together because I wanted everyone to know that she's mine.

"I am, baby, I'm more than ready." I whispered against her lips, digging my fingers gently into her skin.

"Good to know," she smiled, pecking my lips before continuing, "but _still_ , dinner at your dad's at nine."

I wouldn't say that I hate my father, but after my mom died, when I was eight, my father took off. I literally hadn't seen him in years, and had a nanny raise me. It wasn't until I was fifteen that he'd come back, and since then he's been cold and distant. The man tore me down every chance he got. I know I've screwed up a lot, but nothing I ever do would be good enough for him. I sighed and looked up into Felicity's blue eyes. I hadn't told her much about my relationship with my father yet.

"Baby, can we talk about my father later? We're in a very compromising position and Malcolm Merlyn is a _huge_ turn off." I whined as she sat back, her naked heat pushing into my pelvis, and I could feel her wetness through the fabric of my briefs.

"Fine," she smirked, before removing my t-shirt from her body in a tantalizingly slow movement.

**Big Belly Burger**

I drove Felicity over to her place so she could shower and change her clothes, rather than meeting Sara and Ollie in last night's outfit. When she had reemerged, dressed in short denim shorts, a white tank top, and gold sandals, her hair falling over her shoulders in waves, it took everything in me not to take her on her brand new sofa.

We currently sat in a booth with Oliver, waiting for Sara to arrive. It was only a few minutes of mindless chatter before Sara approached the table, a small pink gift bag in hand. Oliver stood, so that Sara could sit on the inside, across from Felicity.

"Hey bestie!" She squealed excited, as Ollie sat back beside her, but completely ignoring us as she spoke to Lis.

"Hey _, Sara_." I greeted, with a smile.

"Yea, hey, Sara. What are we chopped liver?" Ollie asked, nudging her with his elbow.

"Hi, Ollie and Tommy." She smirked with a roll of her eyes, before turning her attention back to Lis, and sliding the small pink bag across the table.

"What's this?" Felicity asked, a small smile creeping to her face, as she accepted the gift.

"I know your birthday isn't until next Saturday, but happy-early-twenty-second-birthday." Sara beamed. "I got it for you last week, but I just couldn't wait anymore. Open it!" Her birthday was only eight days from now. Why didn't birthdays come up and why didn't she tell me her birthday was so close?

"Sara, you know you didn't have to get me anything." She smiled as she dug a rectangular, black velvet box from the bag. She opened it and immediately gasped in surprise. "Holy frack, it's _beautiful_! Thank you!" Her entire face lit up as she pulled the gold, charm bracelet from the box.

"I'm glad you like it." Sara smiled again, it seemed like the two women at the table had permanent smiles glued to their faces, causing me and Ollie to smile too. "I left some open for new charms you want to add later."

"I _love_ it!" Lis squealed, turning to me, silently asking me to put it on her wrist. I took the gold bracelet from her hand, wrapping it around her left wrist and closing the clasp.

I watched her as she admired it, and took a moment to notice the charms. There were six of them: one that looked like a computer chip, one of two small entwined hearts, the Eiffel Tower, an envelope, a poker chip, and a panda head. I wondered about the stories behind them as the waiter approached the table. He quickly took our orders then left.

"So, how's QCFOS?" Sara asked, striking up a new conversation.

" _QCOFS_ ," Felicity corrected, nonchalantly, "and it's good, may even be done sooner than I thought."

"The board is really excited about your presentation, Felicity. You should be really proud." Ollie spoke up.

"It's not a big deal." Felicity said, modestly, blushing slightly.

"It _is_ a big deal, babe." I started, placing a hand on her bare thigh, beneath the table. "And I, for one, am very, very proud of you." I smiled, pecking her perfect, pink lips.

"You haven't even been at QC long and you're already changing it for the better. You are absolutely _remarkable_ , Felicity Smoak." Oliver smiled, as the waiter dropped off our food and drinks.

"Thank you for remarking on it, Oliver Queen." She smiled back, digging into her fries. I was so glad that my best friend and girlfriend had managed to become friends. They were the two most important people to me, so it was prevalent that they got along.

By the end of lunch, we'd already decided to have a birthday bash for Felicity at Verdant. She told us how her twenty first birthday had consisted of her and Sara eating ice cream and drinking wine, as she battled through a break up. Ollie and I vowed to ensure she had the best birthday ever, especially since she's never had a big birthday party before.

I really felt the need to outdo Sara's gift.

* * *

**Felicity**

Tommy dropped me off at home, with a promise to pick me up at 8:30p.m. I opted to shower again, since it was so hot outside- I mean Nevada was hot, but good Google, Starling summers were incredulous. Once I got out of the shower, I checked my phone, seeing a text from Tommy.

 **TM** : I can't get you out of my mind, Miss Smoak 3

I smirked at the message, feeling a warmth take over me, before replying.

 **FS** : We'll be together soon enough, Mr. Merlyn

 **TM** : Stay over again tonight?

 **TM** : please

 **FS** : I'd love to :)

I packed my overnight bag, then blow dried my hair _, (the blow dryer nearly winning the war, but Felicity: 1, Hairdryer: 0)_ , before using my curling wand to create soft waves. I pinned it in a 'not-trying-too-hard' updo with a few tendrils hanging loose. Moving to the closet, I sifted through it for a dress, settling on a blue, knee-length number with thin straps and an open back. It had a v-neck that was low enough to make Tommy drool, but modest enough for dinner with his billionaire father.

I went back in the bathroom, quickly brushing my teeth and applying light makeup, going for a red lip. I heard a knock on the door, and looked at the clock hanging on the bathroom wall. It was 8:26, so I padded to the front door barefoot, already knowing who was there. I pulled the door open, my charm bracelet jingling, to find Tommy looking exquisite in his black tux, (and a tie for once). I stepped aside, letting him in, before closing the door.

"Lis," he whispered as I approached him, then promptly slid his arms around me. Barefoot I only came almost up to his chest, so I had to tip my head back to look at him. "You look so _beautiful_ , babe." he murmured, his hand sliding up my back and finding my bare skin.

"Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself." I smiled, pulling out of his hold, then leaving to go to my room, saying, " I just have to grab my shoes and my bag, then we can go."

"You know it's not to late to cancel and go see a movie instead." He called after me.

"Tempting as that is, _especially_ since I've yet to see _Wonder Woman,"_ I started, sliding on one of my black, suede stilettos, "you've been avoiding this dinner for a month now. We're going, Thomas." Once the other shoe was on, I grabbed my clutch and swung my small Nike duffel over my shoulder. Tommy's eyes trailed over me as I grabbed my keys from the kitchen island.

"We can always just go back to my place..." he murmured with his hands in his pockets, following me as I head for the door. I turned back and glared at him as I opened the door. "Or we can suffer through dinner, but _you're_ making breakfast tomorrow." He smirked, before taking my bag and following me out to his car. He opened the passenger side for me, and I paused before getting in.

"Unless you want me to burn down your penthouse, I'm _not_ making you breakfast." I smirked, noticing how close he was standing to me.

"That bad, huh?" He chuckled. Tommy could cook, and he was a pretty good cook. Apparently so was Oliver, because they took a year long cooking class together, at one point, to pick up women.

"I was a broke college girl. I could make you overcooked ramen and pb&j." I admitted, shamelessly, getting into the bright, glossy, blue Bugatti Chiron. I wondered for a moment if a car this flashy was even legal to drive.

Tommy sat in the driver seat and looked over at me as we both fastened our seat belts. "You ready, babe?"

"Let's do this." I smiled. I was surprised when he hooked his iPhone to the auxiliary cord, and began playing soft jazz music. He didn't peg me as a jazz kind of guy.

We rode to Malcolm's house in a comfortable silence, then Tommy finally pulled up to a huge mansion. He stopped the car in front and when we got out, a valet- they had a fracking valet, took the keys and drove off. I suddenly felt nervous now that we stood a foot away from the intimidating castle's front door. I was about to meet the infamous Malcolm Merlyn.

"You _sure_ you wanna do this, Felicity?" he asked, gently rubbing my upper arms. "I warned you of what he's like, I don't blame you if you don't wanna go in there." He pulled me in, genuinely concerned.

"We can do this." I said just as the door opened. We both looked up and Malcolm Merlyn stood before of, with a sarcastic smile plastered on his face.

"Hello _, son._ You two planning to stand out here all night, or you coming in?" He asked, with a bite to his voice. He stood aside to allow us in.

"Hello to you too, father." Tommy replied with the same bite, holding my hand and leading me to the dining room, as his father followed. We stopped near the table, and turned to face him.

"Why don't you introduce me to your _date_ , Tommy?" Malcolm started, walking over to the small bar in the corner of the room, and pouring himself a glass of scotch. "I bet you don't even know her name, and God, I hope you've _both_ gotten checked for STDS." He murmured at the end, sipping his scotch.

This dinner was _definitely_ going to be a **_disaster_**.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thank you for reading. Thank you to those who've commented the first chapter. Your comments make the world go round. If you guys hadn't noticed yet, this will shift into an Olicity story, but give it time. It's going to be a bit of a slow burn, but I'm thinking only 15 chapters. We'll see.
> 
> Any who, the next chapter will be the disaster dinner told from both Tommy and Malcolm's perspectives. I've decided that at rare moments, where I see fit, I will add in a character POV aside from Tommy, Felicity, and Oliver.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Merlyn Dinner disaster, as told by Tommy Merlyn; Tommy has an epiphany about his relationship with Felicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I initially wanted a super long chapter, but I've decided to make all of my stories' chapters shorter so that I can provide you with new parts if the story at a faster rate, (and to take some of the pressure off of my muses lol)

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=16a752t)

  
**Tommy Merlyn**

  
I sat in the driver seat and looked over at my beautiful girlfriend—wow, I will never get tired of calling her that— as we both fastened our seat belts. "You ready, babe?"

  
"Let's do this." Lis smiled, lighting up my night. God, she’s so beautiful. I pulled my iPhone from my pocket, connecting it to the auxiliary cord, and began playing soft jazz music. I needed something soothing to prep me for the inevitably rough night ahead.

  
We rode to Malcolm's house in a comfortable silence, then I finally pulled up to the mansion, stopping the car in front. I could see Felicity’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise when she spotted the valet. I got hopped out of the ride, tossing him the keys, then walked around to the passenger side to open the door for Lis. As she stepped out, I cradled her hand in mine, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.

  
The nervousness was evident all over her beautiful face, and her teeth dug into her bottom lip _. God, why couldn’t we just go back to the penthouse?!_  
We were about a mere foot from the front door and I stopped putting my hands on her shoulders to turn her to me.

  
"You sure you wanna do this, Felicity?" I asked, gently rubbing her upper arms, feeling the goosebumps that I’d left behind. "I warned you of what he's like, I don't blame you if you don't wanna go in there." My hands trailed down the silky skin of her arms and landed on her waist, pulling her body closer to mine.

  
"We can do this." Lis said just as the door opened. We both looked up and there stood my asshole of a father.

  
"Hello, _son_. You two planning to stand out here all night, or you coming in?" He asked, with a bite to his voice. He stood aside to allow us in.

  
"Hello to you too, _father_." I retorted sharply, holding Lis’s hand and leading her to the dining room, my father following behind. We stopped near the table, and turned to face him.

  
"Why don't you introduce me to your date, Tommy?" Malcolm started, walking over to the small bar in the corner of the room, and pouring himself a glass of scotch. "I bet you don't even know her name, and God, I hope you've _both_ gotten checked for STDS." He murmured at the end, sipping his scotch.

  
I let out a shaky, frustrated breath and before I could respond with a snide remark, I felt Felicity’s hand squeeze mine. She was willing me to relax, and I was so under her spell that I didn’t take much for me to comply.

  
I ignored Malcolm’s remark and pulled out a chair for Lis, before sitting beside her. He approached the table, polishing off his glass, and sat across from us as the help brought out dinner.

  
“She’s not just _some girl_ ,” I started, holding Felicity’s hand on top of the table, “she’s my girlfriend. And for the record, her name is Felicity.” Malcolm raised an eyebrow while looking between us.

  
“If you say so.” He muttered, picking up his knife and fork, the cutting into his chicken. Felicity glanced at me, then delicately unfolded the handkerchief and placed it on her lap. I placed a reassuring hand on her thigh and she offered me a small smile.

  
“So, Felicity,” Malcolm started, breaking our moment, “do you have a last name?”

  
“It’s Smoak. Felicity Smoak.” She stated confidently.

  
“And what do you do for a living, Felicity Smoak?” He asked, almost tauntingly. Granted, my track record of women showed to include a shit ton of models, dancers, “actresses”, and unemployed women.

  
“I’m an employee of the Queen Consolidated IT department.” She replied, smoothly, showing that she was in no way intimidated by my father. I smirked before sipping from my wine. God, this woman is incredible.

  
“ _Impressive_ , Ms. Smoak.” He nodded. “Where do you attend college?”

  
“I _attended_ college at MIT.” Lis corrected proudly. I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face as I ate and watched the exchange between the two. Malcolm’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

  
“Oh. I figured you were still in school considering how young you look.” He chuckled.

  
“I graduated from high school when I was sixteen.” She explained, not backing down from my father.

  
_Holy_ fuck, _she’s never looked hotter_.

  
“I took a year off to travel and started college, with a full ride, when I was seventeen. I graduated last year.” She finished off, matter-of-factly, then sipped her wine.

  
“What did you major in?” he asked.

  
“I have a dual-masters in cyber security and computer science. And just to answer what I can only assume would be your next questions,” she began, placing her knife and fork beside her plate and sitting up a little straighter, her eyes boring into my fathers.

I sipped my wine, watching Felicity intently with her every word, and catching my father’s reactions.

  
“I’m a brilliant woman if I must say so myself. I’ve worked hard for everything I have and I depend on no one but myself. Before I even graduated from MIT, I had a plethora of companies competing to employ me. And if I’m not mistaken, _Merlyn Global_ was amongst them. Also, I have an IQ of 176. I’m what people like to call a _genius.”_ She smirked, batting her eyelashes before sipping her wine.

  
“Queen Consolidated is _very lucky_ to have you Ms. Smoak.” Malcolm responded with pride.

  
“Thank you, I agree.” She stated before turning her attention back to her plate.

  
_Oh Felicity-fucking-Smoak. Just wait until I get you home._

  
“Great. So are you done interrogating my girlfriend?” I interjected with slight annoyance. Malcolm looked at me reciprocating my energy.

  
“Of course… and how’s your _nightclub_ going? What’s it called? _Verde?”_ He asked, sarcastically. I saw Felicity’s lips twitch as if she wanted to say something, but she held her tongue.

  
_“Verdant._ And it’s doing very well. Profits have increased by 109% since March.” I replied, borrowing some of Felicity’s confidence. “Looks like I’m doing _something_ right.”

  
“Right.” Malcolm snorted, and I could feel my ears burn with anger. “Do you know why _Verdant_ is destined to fail? It’s a nightclub, Tommy. One season you’re in and the next, you’re out. So let me know when your little project is completed and finally make a smart choice for once. Come to Merlyn Global. I’m not going to hold this option out to you for to much longer, Tommy.”

  
“Nothing I _ever_ do is going to be good enough for you!” I growled, standing from the table. “I’m not _you!_ I never will be _you_ and I don’t _fucking_ want to be!”

  
My brain began to scream out for me to abort, and the next thing I knew, I was outside, heaving with anger. After a few minutes, I scrubbed my hands over my face and turned to go back inside. I just wanted to get Felicity and get the hell out of there. I slowly opened the door, stepping into the foyer, when I heard her voice.

And it wasn’t her usual loud voice.

  
She sounded _pissed._

  
I stood in the foyer, just feet away from the dining room and listened in.

  
“… _a shame because all he wants is for you to be proud of him, but you can’t even give him that. He’s a grown man with the right to make his own decisions. Tommy is incredible man. He smart, determined, and has one of the most kindred spirits I’ve ever come across. Yet, all you do is tear him down_.”

  
Malcolm sighed.

  
_“Name your price.”_ He said.

  
_“What?_ _What are you talking about_?”

  
“ _My son is on the wrong track, and frankly, you’re a distraction. I need_ this…relationship…to _end. I need Tommy to focus_.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “ _Now if you care about, Tommy, I’m sure you’d want him to lead a successful life. So. What’s is going to take? A job at Merlyn Global? I’ll double what the Queens are paying you_.”

  
Felicity scoffed.

  
“ _Are you seriously trying to bribe me to break up with Tommy? You are un-fucking-believable.”_ She growled in response, and I could hear a chair scrape against the floor.

  
“ _Come on, Miss Smoak. Everyone has a price. Name it, and I’ll write you a check right now_.”

  
“ _You know, Tommy warned me about you, but I couldn’t imagine that he wasn’t exaggerating. The way you treat your son is despicable. I can’t even believe he bothers to put up with you. Tommy is quite the incredible man and you don’t deserve to have him in your life. You, Mr. Merlyn, can go screw yourself.”_ She said before stomping out if the dining room and nearly knocking into me when she came around the corner.

  
I stared at her in awe for a moment. How did I get so lucky? Her blond her looked like a halo, and I swore that God sent this perfect angel here just for me. My chest felt tight and my heart swelled with affection. I gently took her hand in mine.

  
“Let’s get out of here.” I murmured. We left behind the house of doom and I ushered her into my car in silence. It wasn’t until we were about give minutes away from the penthouse when I finally spoke up.

  
“Thank you,” I said, earnestly, when we hit a red light.

  
“For what?” Felicity asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. I place my hand on her thigh and stared into her eyes.

  
“I’ve never had anyone defend me— let alone stand up to my father- the way you have tonight. It was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.” I answered, watching the blush rise to her cheeks before traveling down her neck.

  
“How could I not? She asked. “The way he acted was terrible and you deserve much better than that.” I smiled unable to put my feelings into words. I leaned in, my hand gently gripping her thigh, and caught her lips in mine. Her nails gently grazed my cheek when I slipped my tongue into her mouth.

_This woman is so intoxicating. I can’t get enough of her._

I heard the car horn behind us, before I remembered where we were and saw that the light had turned green. We glanced at each other a chuckled before I pulled off, impatiently driving us to my place.

  
**Tommy’s Penthouse**

  
The second we got through the door, I dropped her duffel bag on the floor and pushed her up against the wall. My lips attacking hers.

  
Felicity opened up her mouth to me as her fingers tugged on my hair, pulling me impossibly close. I placed my hands directly under her butt and pulled her into my arms. Her legs found their rightful place around my torso, and I wasted no time in carrying her to my room, my lips still on hers.

  
I set her down at the foot of the bed and quickly pulled the pins from her hair. Then we undressed each other in a frenzy, before I playfully tossed her on to the bed. Her blonde hair cascaded around her and glowed in the moonlight.

  
I swore to myself that I’d never seen a sight more _beautiful._

I slowly crawled on top of her, settling between her legs and stared into her beautiful blue eyes that were slightly darkened with desire.

  
“Is something wrong?” she asked after a moment.

  
And I smiled.

  
“No, baby.” I murmured, gently brushing away a few loose strands of her hair and pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose. “Everything is _perfect.”_ I gently ground my hips against her, kissing her slowly, yearning for her to feel my emotion. I pulled back, my lips hovering over hers.

  
“I’m _so_ in love with you, Felicity Smoak.” I whispered.

Her beautiful eyes watered in an instant and she smiled back at me.

  
“I’m in love with you, too, Thomas Merlyn.”

  
For the first time in my life…

  
I _made love_ to a woman.

  
Then I slept the night away the the woman I love in my arms.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: the Merlyn Dinner Disaster told by Malcolm and Felicity.
> 
> Tell me what you think in the comments and if you agre to the idea of shorter chapters.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity's Dinner POV  
> QCOFS Mock Presentation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long to update. I know I've slowed down dramtically. The last few weeks have been rough on me, what with a scary and potentially life threatening diagnosis- and I still can't figure out how to tell my fiancé :(
> 
> I was feeling a bit to depressed to write, but getting back into my writing has proved to be a major distraction, which I so desperately needed. So thank you to all of you who patiently stuck around. I will be updating all of my stories today.
> 
> Lots of Love,
> 
> cloverlotus

 

* * *

**Felicity**

"So, Felicity, do you have a last name?" Malcolm asked, his glare serving the purpose to intimidate me.

"It's Smoak. Felicity Smoak." I answered, ensuring that I was exuding confidence. No way was I going. To back down from Malcolm.

"And what do you do for a living, Felicity Smoak?" He asked, almost tauntingly. Clearly the man was underestimating me and I smirked before sipping my wine. How glorious it was going to be knocking Merlyn off of his high horse.

"I'm an employee of the Queen Consolidated IT department." I replied, smoothly, seeing Tommy smirk before sipping his wine. It's warmed me and made me feel more confident to see the pride all over his handsome face.

"Impressive, Ms. Smoak." Malcolm nodded. "Where do you attend college?"

"I _a_ _ttended_ college at MIT." I corrected with a smile. Tommy proceeded to eat in silence with a big, goofy grin on hi face. Malcolm's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Oh. I figured you were still in school considering how young you look." He chuckled.

"I graduated from high school when I was sixteen." I explained, not backing down from his father. "I took a year off to travel and started college, _with a full ride_ , when I was seventeen. I graduated last year." I finished off, matter-of-factly, then sipped my wine, ensuring that I kept it classy.

"What did you major in?" he asked.

"I have a dual-masters in cyber security and computer science." I began, slightly annoyed that he was trying to size me up. "And just to answer what I can only assume would be your next questions," I began, placing my knife and fork beside my plate and straightening my posture a bit.

"I'm a brilliant woman if I must say so myself. I've worked hard for everything I have and I depend on no one but myself. Before I even graduated from MIT, I had a plethora of companies competing to employ me. And if I'm not mistaken, Merlyn Global was amongst them. Also, I have an IQ of 176. I'm what people like to call a genius." I smirked, getting cocky, then batting my eyelashes before sipping more wine. God, I was going to need so much more wine.

"Queen Consolidated is very lucky to have you Ms. Smoak." Malcolm responded with pride.

"Thank you, I agree." I stated before cutting off a piece of chicken and popping it in my mouth.

"Great. So are you done interrogating my girlfriend?" Tommy asked, his voice laced with animosity. Malcolm looked at him smugly prior to answering.

"Of course… and how's your nightclub going? What's it called? _Verde?"_ He asked, sarcastically. I wanted so desperately to shut Malcolm down, but bit my tongue to keep from spazzing.

_"Verdant."_ Tommy corrected, with a roll of his green eyes. "And it's doing very well. Profits have increased by 109% since March. Looks like I'm doing something right." It was now my turn to smile with pride.

"Right." Malcolm snorted, Tommy confident grin turning into a scowl. "Do you know why Verdant is destined to fail? It's a nightclub, Tommy. One season you're in and the next, you're out. So let me know when your little project is completed and finally make a smart choice for once. Come to Merlyn Global. I'm not going to hold this option out to you for to much longer, Tommy."

"Nothing I ever do is going to be good enough for you!" Tommy growled, startling me, and standing from the table. "I'm not _you!_ I never will be _you_ and I don't _fucking_ want to be!"

My mouth dropped in surprise as Tommy stormed out of the dining room, and it wasn't long before I heard the front door slam. Malcolm sighed and refilled both of our wine glasses.

"So immature. What a disappointment." He shook his head and guess down some wine. I let out a puff of air in disbelief.

"You're kidding me right?" I growled, slamming my cutlery onto my plate. Malcolm looked completely unfazed as he proceeded to eat.

"I wish I was. His head is so far up his own ass, he can see his prostate." Malcolm jabbed, causing my to shake my head in disgust.

"Here I thought my father was bad." I muttered. "He's your son, how could you treat him that way? How could you be so cold-hearted towards him?" I asked in disbelief.

"Miss Smoak, I'm simply trying to teach my son how it is in the real world. And in the real world—"

"Oh, you're so full of it, Malcolm." I rolled my eyes, not bothering to hear what he had to say. "You're a poor excuse of a father and it's a shame because all he wants is for you to be proud of him, but you can't even give him that. He's a grown man with the right to make his own decisions. Tommy is an incredible man. He smart, determined, and has one of the most kindred spirits I've ever come across. Yet, all you do is tear him down."

I could hardly wrap my head around the way dinner played out. This man was unbelievable. Malcolm sighed, and pulled out his checkbook and a pen.

"Name your price." He said, watching me expectantly with his pen ready to write.

"What? What are you talking about?" I asked, befuddled. Was he even listening to me?

"My son is on the wrong track, and frankly, you're a distraction. I need this… (ITLCZ) relationship…to end. I need Tommy to focus. Now if you care about, Tommy, I'm sure you'd want him to lead a successful life. So. What's is going to take? A job at Merlyn Global? I'll double what the Queens are paying you."

Un-fucking-believable. I scoffed in disbelief. Why kind of girl did he think I was?

"Are you seriously trying to bribe me to break up with Tommy? You are un-fucking-believable." I growled in response, pushing my chair back and standing from the table.

"Come on, Miss Smoak." He rolled his eyes. "Everyone has a price. Name it, and I'll write you a check right now."

"You know, Tommy warned me about you, but I couldn't imagine that he wasn't exaggerating. The way you treat your son is despicable. I can't even believe he bothers to put up with you. Tommy is quite the incredible man and you don't deserve to have him in your life. You, Mr. Merlyn, can go screw yourself." I snarled, snatching my clutch from the table and storming out similarly to how Tommy did.

I rounded the corner to head for the door, nearly running into Tommy, who was staring at me as if I hung the moon. I wondered how much he'd heard as he grabbed my hand and gave me a small, apologetic smile.

"Let's get out of here." He murmured, nodding toward the door.

And so we did.

* * *

**Oliver**

Felicity had just finished her mock presentation for Mr. Denis and I. To say she was nervous would be an understatement though I couldn't understand why. QCOFS was by far an incredible system, so I was unable to fathom why she wasn't her normal, confident self.

I tried to offer her reassuring smiles during her presentation, even though I saw Denis shaking his head and scrawling on his notepad many times. Felicity noticed too, because she began stumbling over her words and babbling every time he did.

The presentation started off smoothly, the intricate PowerPoint already dazzling me with her brilliance.

But then Mr. Denis began interrupting her with questions, clearly throwing Felicity off of her game. From five minutes in, she had multiple mishaps.

First she tripped, the four inch heel of her left shoe breaking. She sighed and kicked them off, determined to continue.

Next, she went for a sip of water in between slides, spilling at least four ounces of it on her blue dress.

A tear threatened to fall, but she quickly wiped it away, smudging her black mascara on her pale skin.

I could see her confidence dissipating every time Denis interrupted, and it made me want to punch him in the face.

Her hands began shaking at about ten minutes in, and while swiping to change the PowerPoint slide, she dropped her tablet, the screen cracking instantly. She sucked in a breath, before swallowing nervously and apologizing. She hadn't even finished her presentation when Denis spoke up again.

"Miss Smoak, have you considered having someone else present on your behalf? Like, say, Mr. Queen? Or perhaps Mr. Holt?" he asked, still sprawling on the paper. Was he serious? I looked at Felicity, who was chewing on her lip, her doe eyes wet with unshed tears. She spoke up before I did.

"I'll consider it, sir." She muttered, picking up her broken tablet and fleeing the conference room. At least I knew what to tell Tommy to get for her birthday.

I quickly followed behind Felicity, catching her before she could get on the elevator.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Queen." She sniffled, avoiding my eyes as tears fell from hers.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." I assured her, holding her small, shaking hands in my own.

"Mr. Denis is right. You should present QCOFS to the board. Besides, if they're anything like him, they're bound to let a man actually get through it." She sighed. She looked so broken and it hurt my heart seeing this beautiful, amazing woman cry. I outstretched my arms, pulling her into a tight hug, as she sobbed lightly.

"This is your creation and your presentation. No one is going to take that away from you. Not me, not Curtis, and certainly not Denis." I murmured into her ear, rubbing small circles on her back as the elevator opened.

"Hey, what happened?" Tommy asked, a takeout bag in hand, and his face etched with concern. Felicity slipped out of my arms and threw herself into Tommy's, as I idly stood by, pretending not to be jealous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm considering a second path to this story for those of you want to keep Felicity and Tommy together. Decisions, decisions...
> 
> xoxo cloverlotus


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Tommy take the next step in their relationship; Donna meets Tommy; Oliver and Sara confide in one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back. So I broke the news to my fiancé, (finally), who insists that we get a second and third opinion on my diagnosis, (even though I'm quite confident that its correct). I will keep you all up to date on my condition, but in the meantime, I will continue to write whenever he is at work because it kinda gives me a sense of peace and distraction. Thank you for all of the well wishes, you guys are the best!

Artwork by the ahhhmazing LaDemonessa. Thank you for all of your support and for the beautiful and inspiring artwork. 

 

**Tommy**

I tiptoed into my bedroom on Saturday morning to find Felicity just beginning to stir. I walked slowly, ensuring that I kept balance of the breakfast tray, which currently held blueberry French toast with a lit birthday candle in the center, bacon, eggs benedict, coffee, and a small bowl of assorted berries. The multicolored ribbons of the balloon bouquet was wrapped around my left hand and a birthday card was tucked between my index and middle finger of my right hand.

"Haaappy birthday to youuu. Haaappy birthday to youuu. Happy birthday to the-most-beautiful-incredible-intelligent-sexy-girlfriend in the wooorld. Haaappy birthday to youuu." I sang with a proud smile. She had sat up once I started and watched my with a shy, embarrassed smile the entire time.

"Aww, Tommy!" Lis smiled brightly, her cheeks turning what was now my favorite shade of red.

"Make a wish, babe." I smiled, sitting half on the bed and holding the tray in front of her. Lis squeezed her pretty blue eyes shut and blew out the pink candle. She plucked the candle from the bread and licked the syrup off of it before dropping it on the tray. I sat the tray on her lap as she continued to stare at me with a smile. "What?" I asked, returning her grin.

"Just trying to figure out how I got so lucky." She replied, running her fingers through her beautifully unkempt curls. I leaned over and pressed a searing kiss to her lips.

"I'm the lucky one, babe." I whispered against her mouth before kissing her again. I handed over the birthday card. "Open it." I told her, nervously. In the pit if my soul, I was praying that she wouldn't turn me down. I didn't want her to feel like my gift was rushing our relationship, but I could see myself with her forever. Felicity smirked before gently opening the envelope and pulling out the card.

She chuckled at the drawn out pictures of a boy and a girl, before reading the front of the card.

"To my girlfriend," she began, "You is.. well.. hot!" she laughed, thank goodness for Hallmark. "You probably caused global warming?!" she giggled through the sentence. "Merlyn, you've definitely scored brownie points for this one. So fracking cute, I can't take it."

"Come on, baby, open it, open it, open it!" I chanted before biting my lip nervously. She opened up the card and froze at was she saw inside, her smile fading and lips parting slightly. She untaped the piece of metal from the inside of the card and looked at it, before cocking her head at me.

"Tommy… is this…?..are you…?" she stumbled. I took her hand in mine and stared directly into her eyes, seeing them wet with tears.

"Felicity Smoak… I love you. I more than love you… and it would make me happy beyond words if… Lis… will you move in with me?" I asked, finally spitting out the words. Now her tears were falling as she bit her lip.

"Tommy… I would be happy to." She smiled brightly before pulling my face to hers and planting a loud smooch on me.

And to think, this is only her first gift of the day.

* * *

So far the fay had been going off without a hitch. Sara and Ollie were currently getting Verdant set up for Lis's birthday party. Her mom had flown in from Vegas and they were currently getting mani-pedis before our lunch. I was a bit nervous to meet Felicity mom, but she assured me that her mom would love me.

Sara had taken care of contacting Felicity friends from Vegas, Cambridge, and Central City, and I was sure to fly them in via private jet. I wanted this to be the most memorable birthday she ever had.

I, on the other hand, was awaiting the arrival of Thea Queen. I'd given her Felicity dress and shoe size, and she was bringing by some options that she picked out picked out.

It wasn't long before Thea was at the door with two, dare I say 'modelesque', men behind her carrying bags and boxes.

[](https://postimages.org/)

"So, am I invited to this party or what? I wanna meet you girlfriend and _wow_ does that sound weird to say in relation to you." She joked as the men set down the bags and boxes.

"Are you kidding? You're seventeen, Ollie would have my head if he saw you at Verdant."

"Nevermind then, come on guys. These dresses and shoes would look great on me." She said, gesturing towards the awkwardly silent men.

"Fine, Thea, you can come. But absolutely no drinking. You're getting an under 21 wristband and any bartender that serves you is getting fired on the spot." I warned her, knowing that she'd have enough sympathy than to risk someone losing their job.

"Deal." She smiled wickedly before opening a Neiman Marcus bag and showing me the first dress. "This one is a Hervé Léger Bandage Pencil dress and it only cost a little over $1500. It's iridescent so depending on how she moves, the light will make it look almost like it's changing color. I know you said to keep it somewhat modest so it's not revealing but it'll hug this _incredible body_ you keep talking about."

[](https://postimages.org/)

I stared at the reflective dress intently, picturing Felicity in it and Lord almighty, she would look so incredibly sexy in it. I smiled and gave Thea an approving nod. She beamed at me proudly.

"That one is a definite maybe. What else you got for me, Speedy?" I couldn't wait to see Felicity in one of the luxury dresses, even though I know she'd probably choke me out if she saw how expensive they were. I was already planning to pop the tags off before hand.

Thea dug into the same bag, and pulled out another dress. This one was gold with sheer stripes and ¾ sleeves. The beading was what really got my attention because it reminded me so much of Lis.

[](https://postimages.org/)

"This is a Naeem Khan original at about $4,000. It zips in the back and don't worry about the sheer parts, it'll cover what's necessary." She explained, holding the dress up and showing me the front and back of it.

"Nice, Speedy, Lis would look so good in that." I replied, moving to sit down on the sofa.

"And the last one is my personal favorite." She grinned, pulling a dark silver dress. From the neck to the top of the chest was sheer with solid silver designs going from shoulder to shoulder. The long sleeves were sheer as well, and the bodice was decorated in am intricate design. I knew having Thea help me with this was a great decision. "If your girlfriend doesn't like this dress, I will keep it for myself. It's another Naeem Khan and this one was only seven grand. I mean even if she _does_ like it, I will go back and get one for myself."

[](https://postimages.org/)

"Speedy… you're incredible."

"So I've been told. Let me show you the shoes, I got a pair to go with each dress because how could I not?" she giggled, sitting on the carpet. I briefly glance at her two… friends?... and saw them looking oddly uncomfortable, standing by the doorway.

"Feel free to have a seat gentlemen." I offered. One of them breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the armchair a few feet from me. The other opted to stand so I shrugged it off. Thea pulled out the first shoebox and showed me a pair of silver and grey Louboutin Torsatos. Of course, Thea would pick out red bottoms.

[](https://postimages.org/)

"These ones are for the last dress I showed you, they would pair _amaaazingly_ together." She then pulled out the next pair of red bottoms, which were gold with little spikes all over them. "These are the Alti 160 Gold Stud Platform heels. I actually already have this pair and it obviously for the gold dress."

[](https://postimages.org/)

Thea grabbed the last box and revealed a pair of simple, open toe, rose gold stilettos. I knew immediately the I intended on seeing Felicity wearing those and nothing but in the near future. 

[](https://postimages.org/)

"How much do I owe you?" I asked, pulling my wallet from my jeans pocket.

"Nothing it all. It's a gift since you _finally_ have an actual girlfriend. All I want in return is brunch with her in the near future." She smiled.

"I'll set it up, just no interrogating her." I ordered with a smile as we both stood. I quickly pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Speedy, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, big brother."

* * *

**Felicity**

[](https://postimages.org/)

[](https://postimages.org/)   
[](https://postimages.org/)

I had just stepped out of the shower when I heard a knock on the door.

My heart froze.

I nearly broke my neck running to the door, just so my mother wouldn't open it and scare Tommy away. She's scared away one of my exes in the past by planning our wedding after our third date. She scared (ITLCZ) me away from one of my exes when he called her a _MILF._

Yea, because I wanted to know that my at the time boyfriend thought that my mom was, ahem, " _pretty damn bangable_ ".

Right.

So anywho, I had just passed my mother in nothing but a fluffy yellow towel, who was already on her way to the door. With my hand on the doorknob, I turned back around to face my mom.

"Nine times out of ten, that is Tommy on the other side of this door." I began, she staring at me innocently, as if I wasn't aware of her plans to swing open the door and introduce herself as his mother-in-law. "Mom, listen to me very carefully. Do not, I repeat _do not_ scare him away. I really want this relationship to work and if you do anything at all to make Tommy distance himself from me or worse, break up with me, I swear I will never speak to you again." I warned.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Bumble Bee. I got this." She smiled, practically bouncing with excitement. I opened the door to a smirking Tommy, with shoppi by bags, and instantly knew that he heard us.

"Hi, there, beautiful." He smiled down at me. I let him in before hugging him and whispering in his ear, "do not mention anything about us moving in together in front of my mom. Please." He squeezed my waist in agreement before placing a gentle peck to my lips.

"Tommy, this is my mom, Donna Smoak." I introduced, before I turned to my mom. "Mom, this is my boyfriend, Tommy Merlyn."

"Merlyn? Like _Merlyn Global,_ Merlyn?" she asked, disbelievingly.

"That's the one." Tommy smiled, moving around me and holding a hand out to my mom. "It's great to finally meet you, Ms. Smoak."

Donna being Donna grabbed Tommy in a tight hug. "Call me Donna." She smiled, then stage whispered over his shoulder, "honey, you didn't tell me you snagged yourself a billionaire! You go, girl!" I had to fight back a groan as Tommy chuckled and turned back to me.

"Go get dressed, babe, I wanna give you your gift." He said, lifting the bag slightly. I smiled at him before giving my mother and warning glare, and scurried off to my room.

I quickly put on deodorant and some of the strawberry-vanilla scented lotion from the gift set my mom gave me. I pulled on white, cotton underwear, and pulled my white eyelet dress, with a lace trimmed hem and neckline, over my head.

I grabbed a pair of strappy white sandals from my closet, quickly putting them on. Now I regretted washing my hair because no way was I going to go to war with my hair dryer and leave Tommy stuck with Mama Smoak longer than necessary. I put a crap ton of curl defined in my palm and raked it through my hair before putting my detangling brush to use. It'll do until tonight at least.

Tommy beamed at me, (and definitely, shamelessly, checked me out in front of my mother), when I came back into the living room.

"You look… so beautiful." He smiled, making blush as per usual.

"Tommy's right, Bumble Bee, you look gorgeous." My mom agreed.

"Aww, thanks." I blushed, looking down as Tommy approached me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the couch, then gently pushed me down to sit.

"Ms. Sm— I mean Donna, if you would." He gestured for mom to sit beside me. He handed her a long, rectangular box, making her beam with delight.

"Oh, Tommy, for _me?!_ You didn't have to get me anything! " she smiled brightly, her eyes lighting up, even more than they did when she met Sara's father when I was twelve.

"I know, but… consider it a thanks for raising the only woman I've ever fallen for." He shrugged, his eyes boring into mine as I blushed for the fiftieth time that day. My mom tore of the wrapping paper like a kid on Christmas, revealing a beautiful 'Maison Jardin' Votive scented candle set. The weren't even lit and the light smell of jasmine and lemon flower filled the air.

"This is _beautiful_ and so thoughtful, Tommy. Thank you." She smiled, standing and pulling him into a hug. Tommy and I locked eyes over her shoulder. I mouthed a quick thank you, to which he winked. My mom sat down, and thankfully before she could speak, Tommy handed me a much smaller box.

My heart dropped and I prayed that there wasn't a ring inside of the white velvet box. Don't get me wrong, I truly love Tommy, but at the tender age of twenty-one— I mean _twenty-two—_ am I the only one who does that? Anytime my birthday comes around, I temporarily forget that I've moved on to the next age, I mean, geez I'm going to be saying twenty-one for the next week haha, and great Google, I babble during story telling. Back on track, Smoak, get it together. Anywho, marriage seemed a bit early. I stared up at Tommy, who offered me a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Smoaky, the gift won't bite." He chuckled. I could already see my mother's face lighting up with excitement. I slowly pulled the box open, my heart beating a mile a minute. My mom gasped as I released a relieved giggle when I saw what was inside.

Two charms to add to my bracelet. The first was a silver key and the other, a rose gold heart. Upon closer inspection, I could make out the engravings. One side of the heart was engraved with '5/23/17'— the day we met. The other had '8/26/17'— today's date and the day we took our relationship to the next step, hence the key charm.

I couldn't stop the grin that took over my face.

"Tell me you like it." Tommy said nervously. "If you don't I ca—"

"Tommy, don't be ridiculous! I _love_ them, help me put them on my bracelet?" I asked, standing as he took the box from my hand. He carefully handled my newly manicured hand and the charms as he attached them. "Thank you." I smiled, my arms encircling his neck, and his my waist. I leaned up on my toes, capturing his bottom lip between both of mine. It was like everything disappeared, and the simple but complex action of kissing him brought me to a state of euphoria. Just as I slipped my tongue into his mouth, him eagerly parting his lips for me, I heard a throat clear behind us.

_Shit!_

I quickly pulled away from Tommy, not even bothering to look at my mother's over excited face.

* * *

**Oliver**

[](https://postimages.org/)   
[](https://postimages.org/)

Sara and I were hard at work in Verdant all day. We'd finally finished decorating and decided that we deserved a drink for our efforts. I sat at the bar as she walked behind the counter and line up five shot glasses.

"I need your help. I'm trying out three TipsyBartender shots to be served tonight, and I want you to try them. Shot glasses because I'm not trying to get you fucked up before the party." She laughed, grabbing various bottles of alcohol.

"And the other two glasses?" I asked, curiously.

"Because I need some tequila in my system if Nyssa's gonna be here tonight." She replied.

"Who's Nyssa?" I asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"Just a girl…" she trailed of, blushing. I'd never seen Sara Lance blush, and then it hit me that Sara clearly had a crush on a girl.

"Saraaa… do you li—"

"Yes, Oliver, she's a girl that I like, okay." She replied, quickly pouring and downing two shots of tequila.

"No judgement here." I stated, holding up my hands in defense. "I think that's pretty cool. If things don't we out with Nyssa, which for your sake I hope they do, I can I be your wingman." I winked.

"I'd be your wingwoman, but clearly you already like someone." she teased, carefully layering the alcohol into the glass with a spoon. She topped it with whipped cream and slid it to me. My eyes snapped up to hers and she was smirking at me. "What? You think I didn't notice that you have the hots for Lis?"

I could feel my face burning with embarrassment, as we stared at each other in silence. She cocked a brow at me, and I quickly looked down.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I mumbled before throwing back the shot.

"Tainted Love shot," she began, working on the next shot, "Irish cream, tequila rise, grenadine, and whip."

"A little sweet, but good. The tequila gives a nice burn." I nodded in approval.

"Thanks, and don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Ollie. I see the way you look at her when you think no one's looking." She said.

"Sara, I—"

"-don't know what you're talking about." She finished in a dramatically deep voice. "You just better make sure Tommy doesn't catch you looking at her like she hung the moon. Lis will never forgive herself if she feels like she came between you two." Sara slid the next shot across the bar, then poured herself another shot of tequila.

I pondered her words, my eyes focused on the blue gradient shot. I sighed before throwing it back, and slammed the glass back on the counter.

"That's really good." I told her, even though my voice probably didn't convey it. My mind was on Felicity and Tommy— just as it seemed to have been for the last few months

"That was the Blueberry Lemon Drop shot. It has citrus vodka, Triple Sec, lemon juice, blueberry schnapps, and simple syrup." She explained before knocking back more tequila.

"I'm a horrible friend." I said, just above a whisper.

"Ollie, you're—"

"What kind of a person falls in love with their best friend's girl?" I asked, looking back up at Sara, her eyes widening at my admission.

"You're _in love_ with her?" she questioned in disbelief, while preparing the last shot.

"I know… I'm the worst. I mean, obviously, I'm not gonna do anything about it. I would (ITLCZ) never do something like that to Tommy." I said honestly. I couldn't betray my best friend like that. "I just can't help but feel guilty. This is the first girl he's ever fallen in love with, sand my stupid heart had to fall for her too." I admitted solemnly.

What kind of cruel world was it that we both finally, truly, fall in love, and it happened to be with the same girl?

Sara slid the shot over to me, as my phone pinged, signaling a text. I knocked back the shot, that appeared to be glowing, instantly tasting the Bacardi and lemon.

"Night Lights- limoncello, berry lemon vodka, and—"

"Bacardi 151?" I guessed, pulling out my phone.

"Right you are!" she smiled, as I checked Tommy text.

"Felicity friends are about to start arriving." I told her. "And those shots are great."

"Thanks!" she beamed. "And Ollie?"

"Hmm?" I hummed, looking up at her again.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You can't help who you fall in love with, and you're being a good friend by not making moves on Lis, regardless of your feelings." She said, sliding me a shot of tequila. "You need it _almost_ as badly as I do." She winked.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are finally getting some drama in the next chapter, (not necessarily angst), and a bit of insight into Donna and Felicity's relationship.
> 
> xoxo cloverlotus
> 
> PS. Did I go overboard with the pics and gifs? Would you like to see me use them more often?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Felicity have lunch with Donna; Tommy seeks relationship advice from Sara. Felicity’s birthday party ends with a bang; Liquid courage fuels an unwise decision by Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 8000+ words? I owed it to you guys for the dramatically long wait. Enjoy!

**Tommy**

Felicity's face was horrified… and it was  _hilarious._

"Mother." She stated through gritted teeth, slightly leaning over the table towards Donna. "That is  _enough."_

"Oh relax, sweet pea. Learn to laugh at yourself." Donna laughed, I biting my lip to keep from joining in.

"Donna," I began, glancing towards my frustrated girlfriend, "you wouldn't happen to have a copy of that picture that I could keep, would you?" I asked, my most charming smile in place as Felicity rolled her eyes.

"Absolutely!" Donna beamed, handing me the photo. "I have a few more at home."

"Did you just fly all the way out here, on my birthday, to humiliate me?" Felicity asked her mother. "If so, mission accomplished."

"Oh, c'mon, babe. It's not that bad." I smiled, bumping her shoulder with my own. She glared at me, and I focused my eyes back on the version of Felicity that currently lie in my hands.

The one with her dressed in all black, with a dark colored pout, heavy eyeliner, and black hair. I'd never in my life thought I'd see something like this.

Though, I'd never been with a goth girl, I had to admit, this picture was fucking  _hot._

"Unbelievable. " I smirked, looking up at Donna, while Felicity's eyes bore a hole in my skull.

"Isn't it?!" Donna laughed. I carefully tucked my new prized possession into my wallet.  
I stealthily placed my right hand on Lis's thigh beneath the table.

"She's definitely grown into the most beautiful woman I've ever known." I smiled.

"Right." Felicity snorted, doing her best not to smile. She always does this. I compliment her and it's near to impossible for her to just accept it.

"I mean that, babe." I murmured looking down at her, getting serious. "You're so beautiful and amazing to me. Inside and out. I've never met anyone like you, hell, I've never even had a girlfriend. Sara and Ollie could attest to that." I smiled, brushing a few blonde strands out of her face.

"Tommy—" she began, her eyes a bit glossy.

"I love you." I interrupted, cupping her face with both hands. "I love you. I'm in love with you. I love the man you've motivated me to become… I just love you so much." I whispered, before slowly slanting my lips over hers. Her hands gently held mine.

I only broke my lips away from hers when we saw a flash. Our eyes popped open to find a woman, (I believe her name is Susan Williams, a journalism intern), with a camera in hand. From my seat, I could spot the paparazzi waiting outside of the restaurant.

Felicity laughed, pressing her face into my chest and mumbling, "I guess we're public now."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, babe. " I murmured into her ear, glancing over at her beaming, teary eyed mother.

* * *

**Felicity**

Lunch with Tommy and my mom a had went relatively well. Better than I expected, actually. My mom was definitely going home with some of those Godiva chocolates she loves. You know, just a  _'thanks for not scaring off my boyfriend '_  gift.

We all retreated back to my tiny apartment around six, my party not starting until nine. Tommy sat on one of the barstools, near the kitchen island, and my mother on the sofa. Tommy's eyes were trained on me as I walked towards the coffee table , and placed my keys in the bowl.

I swear I could see his green eyes darken slightly, and felt the heat rise to my face and neck as I sat beside my mother. Her eyes quickly flitted between us and she smirked slightly.

"Honey," she began, a small smile in place as she glanced at Tommy, who was looking down at his lap, with his hands in his pockets. "Do you think Quent— I mean  _Mr. Lance_ , still lives at the same place?"

_Eww._

My mother and Sara's father met when we were children. They were dropping us off at camp two summers after Sara and I had already met. That day Sara and I introduced them, since we were all at the same place at the same time. They continued to talk as we walked through the barricades, towards the other campers.

It wasn't until I was sixteen that I learned about this summer fling that they'd been having annually, up until the year Sara and I stopped going to camp. They still texted every now and then, but it's been years since they'd last seen each other.

"Umm… yeah, he still lives there." I nodded, swallowing the vomit at the back of my throat, at just the thought of their reunion. "You're, uh, gonna go see him?" I asked, smoothing the crease between my furrowed eyebrows. She stood from the sofa, her handbag still in hand.

"I think I am." She smiled, her back to Tommy as she winked at me. "Do you need a condom?" she stage-whispered, pointing to her handbag. I could see Tommy choke on air, and flush deep red, behind her. I groaned, burying my face in my hands, before standing up as well.

"We'll catch up tonight, mom." I said loudly, my eyes still wide from her previous question. I placed a kiss on her cheek and a hand on her back as I walked her to the door. "I love you, and make sure you text me when you get to Lance's." She unlocked the door and pulled it open before turning back to me.

"I almost forgot your birthday gift." She smiled, erasing my minor animosity from the minutes prior.

"You're didn't have to get me anything mom." I told her honestly, as she dug in her hand bag, pulling out a small black jewelry box.

"Technically, I didn't." She shrugged, pushing the little, velvet box into my hand. I lifted it in my palm, completely unprepared to open it. "It's a family heirloom. I was supposed to give it to you when you turned twenty-one. But I didn't want you to have it until it was perfect and I still had six stones to replace."

"Mom," I sighed in awe, clutching the box in my palm.

"Open it, honey." She urged, lightly, pushing my hair behind my ear. At some point, Tommy had come to stand beside me, his reassuring palm on my lower back. I pinched the lid with my index finger and thumb before peeling back the lid.

They were the absolute, most stunningly beautiful pair of Sapphire earrings, circumferenced by a ring of diamonds. I felt the tears on my cheeks before I'd even noticed my watery eyes.

"They belonged to your great, great grandmother on your father's side of the family. Your grandmother gave them to me the moment she knew that I was having a girl. You were going to be her first and only granddaughter. I've been replacing the stones since you were ten." She continued, Tommy's arm having snaked around my waist some point after I started crying.

"They're beautiful, mom. Thank you." I whispered before throwing my arms around her, she now crying too. "This is the most perfect gift you could've given me." I whispered, a full on ugly cry threatening to take over.

"Your grandma loved you before you were even born." My mom whispered back. I'd never gotten to meet my grandmother, (or anyone else from my father's side of the family), because she had passed away just minutes before I was born. She had been in need of a new kidney, and they were having a difficult time finding a match.

"I wish I could have met her." I replied softly, looking back down at the sparkling, vintage earrings.

"No more crying. It's your birthday." Mom smiled, before kissing my forehead. "Make sure my baby girl has the best birthday of her life, Mr. Merlyn."

"It'll be my top priority." Tommy smiled, charming the crap out of my mother, before kissing my temple.

"You're better be hungover when I see you tomorrow." Mom smirked, pointing a finger at me. "I love you, you kids have fun."

The second she was out of the door, Tommy was standing in front of me, his hands on my hips.

"I'm still hungry, babe." He murmured, licking his lips, as I set the jewelry box on the counter.

"Really?" I asked, pretending to be oblivious to his double meaning. I gently place my hands on his biceps. "We just had lunch, babe."

"Yes, but I didn't have any dessert." He replied quickly, his brow hiking up as he used his fingers to slowly hike up my dress.

"Well, what kind of hostess would I be if I didn't feed my guest?" I asked rhetorically, Tommy gently pushing me towards the sofa. Once I was seated and leaning back, he sat on the wooden coffee table across from me and leaned forwards slightly. His fingers danced over my legs like feathers across my skin.

My breath hitched in my throat when his hands found their way up the skirt of my dress, and to the hem of my simple white panties. I swallowed the butterflies in my throat, loving the way how Tommy could always send electric pulses through me...

...just like our very first time.

His green eyes locked with my blue ones as his index fingers hooked into the sides and pulled the innocent, cotton material down my legs. His face was dead serious as he tucked them into his pants pocket. The action quickly forgotten when he swiftly threw my legs over his shoulders, and leaned forward, just a breath away from where I needed him most.

"Tommy." I whispered. A simple plea for him to not tease me.

"I love you, Felicity Smoak." He murmured, his breath against my skin arousing me further.

"I love you, too, Tommy Merlyn." I smiled, my heart fluttering and constricting in my chest. The moment his last name escaped my lips, his tongue was slipping through my folds. I shuddered as my head fell against the back of the couch. "Jesus..." I moaned, my voice raspy with desire.

His mouth gently closed around my lips, tugging slightly with his teeth. Then he swirled his tongue around my lips, before delving it inside of me. His name escaped my lips without my permission, followed by a string of profanities. Tommy's tongue continued in and out, rubbing against my walls until my walls clenched around him.

My right hand flew into his short, dark hair when he gently sucked my clit between his lips, an elongated moan leaving me breathless. I felt two of his fingers rubbing my wetness before entering me, his tongue still working hard. His fingers began pumping in and out of me with a twist, making my legs shudder as Tommy gripped my thighs tighter.

"I'm- I'm so close babe." I murmured, pushing his eager mouth harder against my box as his finger quickened their pace. Euphoria washed over me with a shout, followed by Tommy's name falling from my lips like a prayer.

"Taste so good." He whispered against me, supplying my cunt with gentle licks to bring me down from my high.

"Tommy, please." I begged, the words coming out more like a moan. He slowly lifted his head from between my legs, his lips wet with traces of me.

"What do you want, baby?" He murmured, his breath tickling the skin of my inner thighs.

"You." I breathed out, his eyes darkening as he gently set my legs down.

"How do you want it?" He asked, his voice low and sultry as he leaned his lips close to mine, still glistening with my juices.

"Whatever I want?" I asked, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

"It's your world, babe. I just live in it." He whispered, as I undid the last button. I grabbed his collar, pulling his face so close, our lips brushed as I spoke.

"Bend me over the kitchen counter and take me from behind." My raspy voice said, doing my best to sound sexy and seductive. Tommy's brows jumped, and a smirk appeared on his devilishly handsome face.

"Why, Miss Smoak. You freaky, little minx." He said, making me heat up from the inside out. I was going to combust if he wasn't inside of me soon. Tommy's lips were on mine as the fingers of his right hand threading into the back of my hair. The kiss was over quickly as he stood straight and held his hand out for me to take. He stripped me out of my dress before holding my hand and leading me to the kitchen.

Hands down, best. Birthday. Ever.

_Ever._

* * *

**Oliver**

Felicity's party was in full swing, though she and Tommy hadn't arrived yet. Sara was bartending with two other women, ensuring that they knew how to make the new shots she'd added to the menu. I walked up the stairs to the VIP section and watched the party from the balcony. Felicity's friends all seemed to be having a good time so far, and the DJ already had the music booming.

My mind only floated with thoughts of Felicity and my conversation with Sara. If Sara noticed my feelings for Felicity, I was praying that Tommy wouldn't because he could read me better than anyone. I hoped that he was too blinded by his own love for Felicity that he wouldn't see mine.

I still can't believe that I  _love_  her.

I don't even think I've ever actually loved Laurel, and now here I am falling in love with the goth girl I hit on five years ago. I took a swig of the scotch I'd been holding, just as my phone vibrated.

**Tommy:**  I'm five minutes away with Lis

I downed the rest of my scotch and headed to the bar, Sara meeting my eyes once she noticed me coming. Once I reached her, I sat the empty, but still closed glass on the counter.

"They'll be here in five." I told her, as she studied my face.

"Great, have that lovesick puppy face gone before they get here." She warned me, her arched eyebrow raised as she came from behind the bar. I quickly schooled my features, and ordered another scotch, as I heard the music cut off. My eyes floated to the seventy-eight other people in the club, made up of Felicity's friends, family of her friends, friends of her friends, and so on.

"Listen up everyone," Sara began over the mic, me just noticing that she was standing by the DJ. "We just got word that Felicity and Tommy are less than five minutes away. The moment those doors open," she pointed at the doors to emphasize her point, "We all scream _'happy birthday, Felicity'_. Everyone got it?"

There were variations of yes being called from the crowd, as Bailey slid my glass across the countertop. I murmured a quick thank you, then took in my and Sara's hard work. Verdant was embellished with streamers and balloons, all in black, silver, and countless hues of green. There was a large banner hanging from the ceiling, that read 'Happy 22nd Birthday, Felicity', that Sara had made.

Hanging on the wall beside the bar, was a large poster, where we'd all written messages for Felicity. Something that I had suggested since it was simple, but personal. Something I knew she would love. My birthday gift for her was upstairs in the office. Something that perfectly corresponded with the gift Tommy planned on giving her after the party.

My phone vibrated, and knowing that it was from Tommy, but with Sara added as a group text, I quickly opened it.

**Tommy:**  COMING NOW

I looked up at Sara, who was putting her phone in her pocket.

"Get ready everyone!" She said over the mic, all of the club's occupants facing the entrance.

* * *

**Sara**

_**[view Felicity's Outfit[Here](http://www.polyvore.com/m/set?.embedder=24330627&.svc=copypaste-and&id=231916219)]** _

My eyes quickly scanned Verdant one last time, admiring the work that Oliver ] I had done. The club looked great, I was very proud of us. Felicity deserved nothing but the best. I clutched the mic in my hand in anticipation, and glanced over at Oliver, who thank God, fixed his sad face.

He's in love with her. It's so obvious. I know Oliver won't make a move on Lis, though. He cares too much about Tommy, and I'm glad it's that way. Lis will never forgive herself if she were to get in between their friendship because of Oliver's feelings. But being her best friend, I knew that this was something I need to speak with her about.

The one of the double doors to Verdant's entrance began to open. The second Felicity was in view, looking fucking hot by the way, we all screamed in unison, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FELICITY!"

I speed demoned my ass away from the DJ, and to the entrance, just as he began playing some variation of the happy birthday song. I took my best friend, or as I prefer to call her, my sister, into my arms, having not seen her in the last two days.

"Happy birthday, babe!" I beamed, kissing her cheek as her arms wound around me.

"This is amazing, Sara! Thank you, I love you so much." She whispered to me, her voice cracking. I knew she was on the verge of tears, so I pulled back to look at her face, as Oliver came up behind me.

"No tears." I demanded. "You look way too hot right now for tears." I told her, knowing fully well that I definitely checked her out in this low cut, strappy, black mini dress she was wearing. Knowing Tommy, he couldn't keep his hands off of her once he'd seen her in it. I know I'm right because even in my and Felicity's embrace, he kept his hand in place, resting at the top of her ass.

Full disclosure, yes, at one point I've had a crush on Felicity. While I am bisexual, Felicity is the one who showed me that I had any interest in women at all. I remember the conversation like yesterday...

**Flashback**

_April 2012_

_They were on spring break. Well, I was, Felicity had already graduated high school and was taking a year-long hiatus before going to MIT that coming August. She'd been traveling all over the country and sometimes internationally, (London, Australia- which had caused her sudden unexpected fear of kangaroos- Ghana, and the Caribbean just to name a few places)._

_Throughout our trip, I kept feeling these weird pulls towards Felicity. Like when she would hug me, hold my hand, or cuddle with me- all things we'd been doing in a platonic nature for years. But now they were stirring feelings inside of me that I didn't fully understand. I'd known her for ten years and had never felt these feelings with her. It was just strange._

_It wasn't until a few days into our vacation that we were at a cafe. She had given her number to a guy who'd been lightly flirting with her. I was jealous. Like, seeing red, jealous._

_I shouted at the guy to "finally fucking leave us alone already, since you now have her number". We continued on with our brunch as though that hadn't happened, but I could see the confused features on her face, and this is what eventually led to our expirement._

_We were laying in the double bed of our hotel room, eating ice cream, and watching some cheesy rom-com. But I couldn't stop glancing at her and she eventually noticed. She grabbed the remote, shutting off the TV then turned to me._

_"Sara, what's going on?" She asked, genuinely concerned. I was hoping that I could just chalk it up to her moving across America in a few months, but I couldn't lie to my best friend. I prayed it wouldn't ruin our friendship, but she deserved to know the truth. We never hid things from each other._

_"Well..." I trailed off, avoiding her eyes, as I slowly stirred my soupy ice cream._

_"You can tell me anything, Sara." She assured me, innocently brushing some hair out of my face. "Is this about me moving to Massachusetts?" I shook my head slowly, finally locking eyes with her._

_"I, um, the truth is... I've been.. feeling things." I began, folding in my lips and Felicity's brows furrowed slightly._

_"What do you mean?" She asked, putting our ice cream bowls on the nightstand and scooting closers to me._

_"For you, Lis." I admitted, her head cooking slightly as if she was trying to understand. "I think... that I have feelings for you." I said all in one breath, her brows shooting up in realization._

_"Oh." She stated, looking down at her hands._

_"I'm sorry, I- I've never had feelings for a girl before, and I don't know where they came from but-"_

_"Is... is there anything that I can do to help? You know... help you know for sure?" She asked nervously, chewing on her lip, making my eyes float down to them. But I stayed silent._

_I couldn't ask that of her._

_Felicity look as if she was calculating something, then she gently cupped my cheek and inched forward._

_"Lis..." I whispered as her lips got closer to mine._

_"Shhh..." She hushed, just before gently catching my top lip between hers. It was a slow kiss, and I could feel my panties growing wet as my heart thudded in my chest. My hand landed on her waist as I leaned her back onto the bed, continuing to kiss her as I settled between her legs. "Sara," she murmured against my mouth. I pulled back slightly to look at her._

_"Tell me to stop and I swear to God, I will." I promised, my nose pressed against her neck._

_"I... I'm sorry, I think... um..." She trailed off nervously. "I think that... I'm sure that I'm straight." She whispered, looking up at me, as I nodded understandingly._

_"Can... and you can tell me no, no harm, no foul. But... can I please kiss you one more time?" I asked, nervously biting my lips, still tasting her but yearning for more. She giggled lightly._

_"Anything for you." She replied, earnestly. I leaned down without hesitation and kissed her once more, knowing it would be the last time, and she kissed me back, burning this moment into my brain. I ended the kiss and folded my lips in, still hovering over her._

_"You should probably call coffee-shop-guy. Go out with him before we have to leave Bali." I suggest, climbing off of her and standing beside the bed as she sat up._

_"Hey," she said, grabbing my hand as I stood before her. "You know that we're still okay, right?"_

_"Are we?" I asked, hoping that my feelings hadn't ruined our friendship._

_"Absolutely." She smiled, standing in front of me. "You're my best friend... and I think we both just had a moment of clarity. Now we just need to find you a girlfriend because clearly boys aren't cutting it." She joked, instantly repairing my feelings over the past few minutes._

_"Thank you for this, Lis. It really means a lot to me." I admitted, hugging her as her arms flew around me._

_"Anything for my best friend."_

**End Flashback**

Felicity thanked me for the compliment before she pulled out of my arms, leaning into Oliver's as he wished her a happy birthday. My eyes followed Tommy's line of sight, which were glued to Felicity's ass in a very inconspicuous manner. I cleared my throat before he turned to me, a small, shameless smile on his face.

"Don't act like you didn't look, too." He winked, as I glanced at her ass one more time and smirked. Felicity and Oliver were totally clueless, as they were talking, the party already back in full swing.

"What can I say? You're a lucky man, Merlyn." I smiled. At some point, I don't know when, we'd all migrated from the enrance as we talked.

"Tell me about it." He beamed.

"Babe, I'm going to go say hi to everyone." Felicity intercepted, Tommy slightly cringing. Knowing Tommy, it was because he was afraid of her being away from him, dressed like  _that._

"I'll keep an eye out for her." Oliver spoke up, catching my eyes for just a moment, as Tommy let out a breath of relief. His were flashing slightly with guilt and I wished that he'd stop torturing himself. He doesn't know what to do with his feelings for her, but he can't stay away from her either.

I just really hoped that Tommy wasn't as perceptive as me. Felicity is his first love, and he would definitely cut Oliver off if he got between them. Felicity would then blame herself and end up celibate and alone for another two years, and I'll have to swoop in and save the day to the best of my abilities while my best friend continues inwardly blaming herself for breaking up a brotherhood.

"Don't go too far beautiful, I'll catch up in two minutes." Tommy murmured, pulling Lis flush against him as though we weren't standing in the middle of a nightclub. I could physically feel Oliver's heart breaking when Tommy leaned down to press a loving kiss on her lips. The broken halves of his heart shattered to bits when they exchanged 'I love you's'.

"Why didn't you go with her?" I asked, purely out of curiosity.

"She's moving in with me." Tommy blurted, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"What?!" I shouted, a little louder than necessary. "Tommy, that's awesome! I'm so happy for you two."

"Thanks, Sara. You know, your blessing means a lot to me." He admitted, looking down at his hands.

"How come?"

"Well, you guys have been best friends since you were kids and I don't have the best track record with women. Felicity is the first girl I've ever wanted everything with. I needed you to be okay with this." He shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Why do I feel like there's more you wanna say?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously as he shoved his hands in his pockets and bit his lip.

"I... I think I want to propose to her." He replied earnestly, starring me in the eye, and catching me completely off guard.

"You're... you're being serious." I breathed, more as a statement than a question.

"I know, she's young-"

"So are you." I intercepted lightly.

"I'm so in love with her, Sara. And unless I'm completely misreading things, Felicity seems to be just as in love as I am." He started.

"You're right about that." I agreed. "You should hear the way she talks about you. I've never heard her talk about a guy like this before."

"God, am I crazy?" Tommy questioned, running a hand through his hair and looking away from me. "Sara, this feels so right. I think I'm ready to do this. With her." I nodded and glanced at my best friend that was currently hugging Iris West.

"You want my advice?" I asked, his face dropping slightly as if he knew he wasn't going to like what I had to say.

"Honest opinion." He replied.

"When you're ready to marry Felicity Smoak, you won't want or need my advice. You won't (ITLCZ) think you want to marry her. You'll know." I answered. "I think right now, moving in together was a good step for you two. Before moving into marraige, you guys should just enjoy what you have for a while. Bask in this new step of your relationship until you know one hundred percent for sure that you're both ready for marraige."

"You're probably right." I nodded, looking a bit sullen, but understanding.

"Also, you're paying rent on her apartment." I ordered.

"You think she should keep it?" He asked looking slightly confused and offended.

"I mean she hasn't been living there long, there's so much brand new furniture in there, and she and I put a lot of effort into making it a home." I replied, skipping a big chunk of the reason.

"Sara, what's aren't you telling me?" Tommy asked, squinting at me.

"Look," I sighed, "there's a few choice dates out of the year that she genuinely just needs to be alone. She shuts everyone out, me included, and it's important for her to have somewhere that's hers for when she needs to be alone." I explained.

"I assume you're not going to elaborate?" He concluded as a question.

"You've assumed right. Lis will talk to you about it when she's ready." I assured him. "Now go catch up with your girl, it's been more than two minutes."

"Thanks you for this, Sara." He replied, pulling me into a hug before relieving Ollie from his torture. I watched Tommy slide his hand into Felicity's as Oliver excused himself, and head back towards the bar.

* * *

**Tommy**

Sara's words plagued my brain, but I knew that she was right. I didn't want to screw things up, so if I was going to propose, I needed to make sure that everything was perfect. I needed to be as emotionally mature as possible. I needed to make sure that I wasn't moving too fast just because Felicity's my first love. I'd never forgive myself if I did anything to hurt her.

Felicity held my hand as she moved to a group of people, gathered at a table, that I'd seen her greeting while Sara and I talked.

"Guys," she addressed the table before placing a hand on my chest, mine still resting on her lower back. "This is my boyfriend, Tommy Merlyn." She beamed up at me, her beautiful smile grabbing hold of my heart. Then gesturing to each person individually, she introduced the table as I tried to memorize all of the names: Barry, Iris, Cisco, Caitlin, Wally, Jessie, Ray, and his fiancée Anna.

_Fiancée._

I prayed that one day I'd be able to call Felicity my fiancée, then eventually my wife, the mother of my children...

I quickly snapped back into the moment, storing my thoughts away for a much later time. The last thing I needed was to scare Felicity off.

"It's always a pleasure to meet friends of Lis. I'm glad you all could make it." I smiled genuinely, just now noticing the women of the table ogling me. Felicity explained how she knew most of them from living in Central City. She and Barry had both gone to MIT, where they both met Ray. We walked around as Felicity continued to introduce me to her friends, then we head over to the bar where Sara and Ollie were talking.

As we approached, they instantly cut their conversation, guilty expressions quickly being hidden away.

"So, birthday girl, how're you liking everything so far?" Sara asked, before ordering a round of tequila shots.

"This is amazing. Seriously, the three of you have outdone yourselves, I can't thank you guys enough." Lis smiled, as the four of us collected our shots.

"We just wanted to make sure that you had the birthday you deserve." Ollie spoke up.

"A toast," I began, raising my shot as they followed, "to the most incredible woman I've ever encountered. You make me a better man everyday, and I don't know what I'd do without you. Happy birthday, Lis."

"Happy birthday!" Sara and Ollie chimed in before we clanked the shot glasses and threw them back. The burn of the brown liquid warmed my chest.

"Dance with me, beautiful." I whispered in Lis's ear.

"Absolutely." She smiled.

"Save a dance for us, too, hot stuff." Sara winked dramatically.

"You got it, babe!" Felicity winked back, before grabbing my hand and leading me to the dancefloor. "For the record, Mr. Merlyn, you make me a better woman everyday. I love you." She murmured into my ear, as her body pressed against mine, the music wrapping around us like a ribbon of bass.

"I love you, too, baby." I replied, gently cupping her face, and slanting my face mouth over hers.

* * *

**Felicity**

The party had been amazing thus far. From the moment I woke up, to my boyfriend singing me happy birthday, up until the now, has been the very best birthday I'd every had. The party had been going on for about two and a half hours, and I'd definitely had more than a few shots.

I was currently dancing with Sara, when I saw her go completely still. Her face morphing from one of shock to one of anger. I turned to see what had caught her attention, dread sobering me up almost immediately.

_What the hell was he doing here?_

"I'll take care of him." Sara, said, her eyes not moving from the man at the bar.

"Let me. It's time I face my fears, right?" I replied, as he turned around with a drink in his hand, and made eye contact with me.

"Lis, I don't feel comfortable with you near him!" She yelled, rage burning in her eyes as I finally looked at me.

"I'll handle it. If he tries anything then you get security, but I doubt he'll try something surrounded by so many people." I assured her, then walked to the bar, before Sara could respond.

"Felicity Smoak." He said, his tongue wrapping around my name like venom, making me shudder.  _Relax, he can't hurt you. Not anymore._

"Cooper, what the hell are you doing here?" I asked, putting on my bravest, most irritated face.

"What? Can't I come wish my ex-girlfriend a happy birthday?" He asked, feigning innocence, and causing me to roll my eyes.

"You need to leave. Now." I growled, doing my best to sound threatening. "I don't know what you're doing here or how you got in here, but you need to go!"

"Whoa, look at you being a tough guy, Smoak! You've become one of the corporate monkeys that we used to make fun of. Remember those days, babe?" He asked.

"First of all, I'm not your  _babe._  I'm being nice by kicking you out myself, so unless you'd like my boyfriend to-"

"Oh! How could I forget?!" He smiled sarcastically, making me boil with rage. "Your  _boyfriend._  Thomas Merlyn, infamous playboy billionaire. Is that what it takes now? You needed a guy with bottomless bank account to keep you happy?"

"No, what I needed was a man who didn't put his hands on me!" I fumed, poking him in the chest, my anger blocking out the music blaring around us.

"How many women do you think your  _precious Tommy_  is fucking behind your back? You're nothing but a gold digging whore!"

"My  _boyfriend_  is a better man than you will ever be! You're nothing but a woman beating pussy!" I shouted, the instant sting of his hand slapping across my face momentarily stunning me.

* * *

**Oliver**

I was sitting in the VIP section with Tommy. He'd was telling me about the conversation he had with Sara. I couldn't help but feel envy at Tommy's words.

"I'm not saying tomorrow or next week. Hell maybe not even this year... but I know for sure that one day I'm going to make her my wife." He beamed, staring off into space.

"That's... that's great man." I told him honestly, regardless of my jealousy. "I'm really happy that you found someone that makes you feel this way."

"Thanks, bro." Tommy smiled, sipping his bourbon, then brushing a small piece of lint off his black velvet blazer. "Dont look so depressed. You'll find someone soon." He said genuinely, making me feel worse about how bad of a friend I was.

If only he knew that the only girl I wanted was his. I nodded in agreement with Tommy, knowing that he was absolutely wrong. But it was for the better, I'm too much of a screw up for Felicity Smoak. I would just taint her with my darkness.

Look what I did to Laurel.

Tommy's words were reverberating in my head when Sara beelined towards us alone. Before either of us could ask what was going on, she started talking.

"Felicity's ex is here, and he's not a good guy and she decided to kick him out herself-"

"Where are they?" Tommy asked, already standing, and myself following suit.

"At the bar." She replied, quickly, before running down the stairs to lead the way.

We were quickly down the stairs and Felicity and Cooper, as Sara called him, we're in our line of view. They were having a heated argument that I couldn't hear, when a loud slap resonated through the club, echoing over the blaring music.

He'd hit her.

I saw red instantly, and Tommy, a few paces ahead of me, grabbed Cooper by his collar, instantly delivering a blow to his face. Sara was holding a trembling Felicity, who was holding her bright red cheek. The music had been cut, and everyone's attention was on the commotion by the bar. Tommy was still beating on Cooper, when I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to signal for him to stop. I had to physically pull him off of the unfamiliar man.

"Tommy, that's enough. I'll deal with him." I told him, nodding towards Felicity, who was crying, Sara and her friend Barry trying to comfort her. Tommy's eyes went from rage to concern when he looked at Felicity, quickly moving towards her and pulling her into his arms.

I looked down at Cooper, who already had a black eye forming and a busted lip, a and picked him up by the back of his jacket. I practically dragged him out of the club, not looking back as Verdant's occupants began to murmur.

Once we were outside, I pulling him into the Verdant alley, he now trying to put up a fight. I grabbed his throat, and slammed him against the brick wall. The alcohol plus his actions, making me feel violent. How dare he put his hands on her? How could anyone ever want to hurt someone as kind and gentle as Felicity?

"So you think it's okay to hit women?" I growled, punching him hard in the stomach, the lanky man doubling over. I punched him in the abdomen a few more times before letting him drop to the pavement. He was on his knees, holding his stomach, leaning forward with his head against the concrete. I kneeled beside him before linking my fingers with his and bending his back until they cracked incessantly.

The same hand he'd used to slap Felicity.

"I'm only going to tell you this once,  _Cooper Seldon."_  I growled, knowing that I'd just broken four of his fingers as he howled in pain. "If you ever, and I mean  _ever,_  come near Felicity again, your fingers aren't the only thing I'm gonna break." I dropped his hand as he continued to groan and cradle his hand. "Now get the the fuck off of my property." I growled before walking away.

* * *

**Tommy**

We'd decided to leave a few minutes after the incident, but first getting some ice in a ziploc, from one of the bartenders. We said goodnight and thanks to Sara and Ollie before walking to the car. I kept her hand clutched in mine, and my suit jacket was covering her bare shoulders.

Felicity's cheek was bright red, the hand mark definitely destined to bruise. I wanted to kill him, and I was hoping that Ollie hit him a few times before letting Cooper leave. We walked silently to the car, one of her hands in mine, and the other holding the ice to her cheek. Her blank stare is what made the silence so unbearable.

Once we reached my on-call driver, Rob, he opened the limo's back door. I ushered Felicity inside, before climbing in behind her and pulling her close as Rob closed the door. He climbed into the drivers seat, buckling his seat belt, then checking his mirror before pulling off.

The silence was intolerable and it was only a few minutes before I needed to say something. I needed her to talk to me.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, as she stared into space, my arm around her as she leaned against my chest. She raised her head to look at me, and lowered the ice from her face, the purplish red bruise making me want to go back and kick Cooper's ass.

"For what?" She asked emotionlessly, her eyes tired and sad.

"Your birthday wasn't supposed to turn out like this, baby." I murmured, brushing a curl behind her ear, she not reacting to the action. My palm rested in her hair, careful not to touch the bruise on her cheek, and begging her to talk to me.

"Not your fault." She shrugged, leaning her head back on my chest and icing her cheek once more. My hand fell away, and I sighed, feeling angry, sad, dissapointed.. just so many emotions at once.

The saddest I've ever seen my bright and bubbly girlfriend was watching the Lion King. Seeing her go from elated to emotionless was killing me.

"Babe, you know you can-"

"Tommy, can we talk about this when we get to your house?" Lis sighed, her voice tinged with annoyance. This was the first time that she'd ever given me an icy tone before, and I was unsure of what to say to make things better. The last few months had been bliss and Cooper Seldon had to ruin it.

The other thing was that she referred to the penthouse as  _my_  house.

Whenever she'd mentioned it, since I'd given her the key, she called it our  _house._  Then she'd go on to sqy that she was going to help make it our  _home._

"Yea." I nodded, holding her a little closer to me in hopes that she wouldn't pull away. "We can talk when we get home." The rest of the ride was quiet and in about twenty five minutes, we were there. I climbed out and helped Lis out before handing Rob a few folded bills. He nodded his thanks, and Felicity and I entered the gated building hand in hand.

The elevator ride was silent and I was clutching her hand for dear life. I could feel her emotionally withdrawing from me, and it scared me. It was mere moments before we were inside. Felicity toed off her heels by the door, along with her ever-growing pile of shoes.

I followed her as she went to sit on the sofa, and sat beside her, leaving a little space between us. I gently rested my hand on her thigh, willing her to at least look at me, and the moment she did, I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Do you feel like talking about what happened tonight?" I asked gently, not wanting her to feel forced to talk if she wasn't ready.

"No." She whispered, as I pulled the hair pins from her hair, blonde curls tumbling around her face. She sighed appreciatively when I massage her scalp, leaning her head more into my hand.

"You seem like you could use a distraction. How about we go cuddle and watch the Lion King again?" I smiled, hoping to lighten her mood. She shook her head with a sigh.

"Do you have any wine?" She asked, suddenly.

"Yeah, I'll go pour you some." I stood, and pressed a kiss on top of her head before heading to the kitchen. When I returned with a glass of her favorite red, she was silently crying, her hands covering her beautiful face. I placed the glass on the coffee table, before kneeling in front of her. "Lis, please talk to me, honey." I begged, gently placing my hands on her exposed knees.

"I hate him so much." She sobbed, her words muffled by her hands.

"I hate him, too, baby." I admitted. "He's going to pay for what he did tonight."

"Why? It's not like he's paid for any of the other times." She retorted, uncovering her face.

"What other times? He's hit you before?" I asked, my blood boiling as I did my best to hold it together.

"Just forget it." She murmured, shaking her head as her eyes connecting with the wine glass behind me. I turned and passed it to her, knowing she needed the alcohol after tonight.

"It kind of hard for me to forget it when you just signaled pretty hard that this isn't the first time Asshole McGee put his hands on you." I replied, as she downed half of her glass.

"Tommy,  _please_  just drop it."

"Fine. We can talk about this tomorrow." I compromised. She nodded before polishing off the rest of her wine. I sat beside her after placing her empty glass back on the coffee table, thinking of how I can make her feel a little better before we went to bed. "Hey, I have something I want to give you."

"Jesus Christ, Tommy!" She yelled, jumping up from the sofa, and surprising me.

"Lis-"

"No more gifts, stop giving me things! I don't want material things and I don't want your money! I'm not some gold digging whore, Merlyn! So save it for whatever whores you're probably fucking behind my back!" My heart cracked in half at her insinuations. I wasn't cheating on her, I haven't so much as looked at another woman since we'd been together.

"Baby, I-"

"Just save it." She growled, beelining for he door and grabbing her shoes from the foyer before storming out.

* * *

**No POV**

Cooper's words bounced around Felicity's mind as she rode the elevator barefoot, shaking with anger, and her face undoubtedly covered in mascara-laced tear tracks. The door finally opened to the lobby, Oliver standing before her. She stepped out of the elevator, and directly into his arms as she broke down. The night's events finally taking a full weight on her shoulders.

"Hey, hey, it's alright." He murmured, letting her cry into his chest.

"Can I stay your place tonight?" She asked, Oliver freezing slightly at her question. "I just... I need to get away, but I don't want to be alone."

"Yeah. Yeah, of course." He answered after a moment, before handing her his car keys. "Wait for me in the car? I just need to run upstairs, Tommy and I somehow swtitched phones tonight." He explained.

"Thank you, Oliver. You're a great friend." She replied, before leaning on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, causing his heart to flutter.

"Any time." He responded without hesitation. "The Mercedes is parked right out front. Lock the doors when you're inside. I'll just be a few minutes."

"Okay." She forced a weak smile before pulling her heels on and walking out the the car. Oliver sighed before getting in the elevator and taking it upstairs. Once he reached the penthouse, (he had a spare key), he knocked not the door, getting no response.

"Tommy?" He called out, still to no avail. He used the key to unlock the door, finding Tommy sitting on the couch, right where Felicity left him. He was staring at the unlit fireplace, a blank expression on his face, and didn't even acknowledge Oliver when he entered. "Hey." Oliver said, pulling his friend's attention.

"She thinks I'm cheating on her... she yelled at me and... and she left." He replied, emotionless. Oliver's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he sat next to the man he called his brother.

"Tommy... why.. why would she think that?" Oliver asked, unsure of how to make the situation better.

"I don't know. But I swear, man, I'm not cheating on her. I love her, I would never do anything to hurt her." Tommy answered, his voice cracking as tears slid down his face. "I love her so much."

"I know, I know." Oliver responded, pulling his long-standing friend into a hug.

"I wanted to chase after her, but she seems like she needs to time to cool off. I just hope I haven't lost her." He cried into Oliver's shoulder, as Oliver debated telling him that she asked to stay with him for the night. "I should go find her, what if she runs into Cooper?" Tommy pulled away.

"She safe." Oliver replied. "I ran into her downstairs. I'll make sure she's safe for the night and that she's here tomorrow so you guys can hash things out."

"Thank you. You really are a great friend, man. I couldn't ask for a better brother." Tommy responded, earnestly, triggering Oliver's guilt.

"Have a drink and a shower, then get some rest. Everything is going to work itself out." Oliver said, to which Tommy silently agreed. Oliver explained the phone situation before trading phones with his friend and bidding him goodnight.

* * *

It wasn't very long before Oliver was pulling up to his house. Large, but undoubted smaller than the Queen mansion. Felicity remained silent until they reached the living room.

"Let me grab you some pajamas. My sister leaves clothes here all the time." He quickly explained. Felicity sat down and left her heels next to the couch. Oliver returned a few minutes later with a very couture, cream colored shorts set.

"Thank you." She whispered, before retreating the familiar home's bathroom to change. When she came back, Oliver had already poured her a glass of red wine and was pouring scotch for himself. He added her the glass when he saw her, then they walked back to the living room, sitting on the sofa in a comfortable silence.

The bruise on Felicity's cheek made him glad that he broke Cooper's fingers, but wish he'd done more. They drank in silence, and when the glasses were empty, drank some more.

"You know," Oliver began, slurring just the slightest, "Tommy's not cheating on you." She stayed silent, looking down on her hands, feeling guilty for yelling at him. "He loves you."

"I know." She whispered, refilling her wine glass once more. "I don't really... I don't think he's sleeping around. It-it's just.." She trailed off. "I owe him an apology." Oliver nodded in agreement.

"Don't beat yourself up, you-"

"Cooper said that I'm a gold digging whore."

"Cooper's just mad that you moved on. He's wrong." Oliver replied, before filling his glass with more scotch. "Can I tell you a secret, Felicity?" He whispered after a moment.

"You can tell me anything." She replied, sipping her fifth glass of wine, since leaving her party.

"Sometimes I wish you were mine." He admitted, staring at her as the blush rose to her cheeks. "Sometimes I wish that I could be the one to hold you at night. I'd tell you how much I love you every single day."

"Oliver-"

"I'd kiss your lips every chance I got." He continued, inching a bit closer to her, as she swallowed nervously, and bit her lip, grasping his attention. "I wish things could be different." He murmured, lazily pushing curls away from her face before threading his fingers into her hair.

"Oliver, I don't think-"

"I'm in love with you, Felicity Smoak." He finished, before leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers. Felicity froze in place for a moment, but it wasn't long before her lips battled his without her permission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentleman, I introduced to you our plot. Don't hate me! I'm working on Light in the Dark next.


	7. Author's Note

**First and foremost, a huge thank you to every single commenter and supporter. I know it's been a while since I've given you an update and I'm eternally sorry. I will be replying to comments throughout the week!**

So, for the explanation. 

Chemo has been a cold hearted  **bitch**.

 I haven't had any improvements and frankly I've been exhausted and sick all of the time. My appetite is nonexistent and I haven't felt happy in a while. Thus, I've been majorly uninspired.

I'm sorry if I got your hopes up thinking it was an update, but I  **promise**  that I will not abandon any of my stories. 

I am currently working on Arrow through a Clover, Light in the Dark, an untitled one-shot, a NYE one shot (that I started back in December), Forgive Me, and up in Smoak. I will get everything updated as soon as I can. I intend on having AtaC and Forgive Me updated next week.

Thank you all for your patience and please continue to bear with me. 

 

Lots of Love ,

Chloe Lovato aka cloverlotus 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver has regrets. Felicity confesses to Tommy.

**Oliver**

I woke up with a pounding headache and flashes of the previous night. Felicity’s birthday party, Tommy going on about marriage, Cooper Seldon… Felicity staying the night, scotch and wine, kissing Felici—

  
Oh   **fuck.**

  
I sprang out of my lone bed and ran to the guest room. I slowly cracked the door open, peeking inside, to find the bed made. I pushed open fully to find that the room was empty and that the borrowed pajamas laid folded at the foot of the bed. Turning around, I wiped my sweaty palms on my unbuttoned jeans from the previous night. I made my way to the kitchen, then the living room, finding absolutely no sign of Felicity.

  
I was trying to figure out when she could have left, when the previous night floated back to me. I had kissed her.

  
I kissed my  _best friend’s_  girlfriend.

  
What in the _hell_ was wrong with me?

**Last Night**

  
_Felicity had gently broke off the kiss, her hand leaving my hair, to land on my chest as she pushed me back. I opened my eyes in time to see her blue ones flutter open. It was almost like it happened in slow motion, as I blinked the blurriness from the liquor away._

  
_She took one look at me, her eyes bright as they widened, wet with unshed tears. Her small hand clamped over her mouth as she gasped. I’d never seen her move as fast as she did when she leapt up from the sofa and sprinted for the guest bedroom. I began to sober up a bit, the momentary bliss floating away when I realized what I’d just done._

  
_Tommy was going to kill me._

  
_Fuck,_ Sara _was going to kill me._

  
_I quickly followed Felicity to the room, a string of apologies ready to roll off of my tongue. I knocked gently on the door._

  
_“Felicity?” I called out, my voice cracking slightly. “Felicity, please open up, I’m so sorry.” I leaned my forehead on the door, feeling my chest tighten painfully._

  
_What the fuck did I do? How could I have so royally fucked everything up?_

  
_When the door finally swung open, she was dressed in the outfit I’d left on the bed for her to wear tomorrow. A simple pair of Thea’s jeans, a white shirt, and her heels. Her dress was clutched in her shaking hands and she bolted past me and out of the door._

  
_I ruined everything._

 

* * *

**Felicity**

  
I woke up to the sound of incessant knocking, and felt the bed shift as Sara climbed out of it. I opened my eyes with a yawn, glancing at my phone to find that it was after eleven in the morning. As I sat up, Sara sped back into the room.

  
“Good, you’re awake.” She began, her blonde hair sticking up everywhere. “Tommy is in the kitchen.” She whispered, walking towards me frantically, as I sat up.

  
“Oh God.” I whispered, jumping out of the bed. “What do I do? What do I say to him?”

  
“Are you going to tell him?” she asked, looking as nervous as I felt.

  
“I’ve never lied to him before, I won’t start lying to him now.” I replied, as a feeling of defeat swept over me.

  
“Look,” Sara began, placing her hands on my shoulders and instantly calming me down a bit, “Whatever happens, I’m here for you one hundred percent. Okay?” I nodded gently before licking my lips, my mouth suddenly dry like I’ve been stranded in a desert.

  
“I love him… I have to tell him the truth.”

  
“Do you want a shot before you do this?” she offered, referring to the emergency stash of vodka she kept in her dresser.

  
“No, alcohol is what got me into this mess in the first place.” I replied, smoothing my hair and taking a deep breath.

  
“Good luck, babe.” She smiled as I left the room. I slowly walked through the living room and towards the kitchen, Tommy offered me a sad, sheepish smile when we locked eyes.

  
“Hey.” He began awkwardly, his green eyes focused on his feet and his hands shoved into his jean pockets.

  
“Hi.” I replied, nearly as awkward, wrapping my arms around myself.

  
“So… we should probably talk about last night.” He spoke up, making my heart race.

  
_Oh crap, did he know? Did Oliver somehow decide to tell Tommy before I could? I knew I should’ve just called Tommy and told him last night. But if he knew, he would probably be more upset right?_

  
“This is the first big…  _issue_ that we’ve had in our relationship.” He continued, breaking my thoughts. “It didn’t feel right not having you home last night. I love you, Felicity and I don’t ever want us to run from our problems like this.” Okay, maybe Oliver didn’t tell him. He was clearly referring to me walking off on him like the genius moron I am. One bad decision ruined everything.

  
“Do you want to talk in the living room?” I asked.

  
“I was thinking you could get dressed.” Tommy began gesturing to the shorts and tank top I’d borrowed from Sara. “Coffee and chocolate chip muffins on me?” he smiled, and I nodded in agreement. He was least likely to blow up after my confession if we were in a public setting. Not that I didn’t deserve for him to blow up at me.

  
“My treat this time.” I replied, forcing a small smile as guilt began clawing it’s way through my chest. Tommy’s beautiful smile lit up his face, as if he thought I was going to turn him down. Before I had a chance to react, his hands were cupping my face, and his lips were gently pressing into my own.

  
“I’ll be in the car when you’re ready.” He replied. “I really missed you last night, Smoak.” He swept some hair behind my ear before leaving the apartment.

* * *

**Little Star Café**

  
The drive over was silent aside from the jazz music that flitted between us. I borrowed a pair of jeans and a black, sleeveless turtle neck from Sara as well as a pair of ankle boots. We sat at our usual table, Tommy placing our order.

  
“Did you sleep okay?” he asked when the waitress left.

  
“Not really, but I got a couple of hours in.” I replied, finally taking in his dark circles as he nodded.

  
“That’s good,” he answered, though I could instantly tell he got no sleep at all. “Look, I’m really sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to offend you in any way, but you have to know, Lis, I’m not cheating on you. I love you and I would never do that to you.”

  
The guilt was consuming me from the inside out. Tommy had no reason to apologize. For once, I had an amazing boyfriend and I had to ruin it.

  
“You have no reason to be sorry, Tommy. You did nothing wrong.” I replied, my genius brain going a mile a minute, trying to figure out how to confess the details of last night. “I let Cooper get in my head and I took it out on you. That wasn’t fair. So…  _I’_ _m_ sorry.”

  
“He came and ruined your birthday, baby, I’m not upset with you. I just wish you would’ve talked to me. You can tell me anything, babe.” Tommy murmured, reaching across the table to hold my hand in his. I felt like my heart was in my throat as hot tears began to sting my eyes. “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked, as the waitress sat coffee and muffins in front of us.

  
“I, um, I…” I exhaled as a tear fell. “I did something terrible last night. Something unforgivable.” Tommy slowly brought his hand back to himself, taking a small sip of coffee, then handing me a napkin.

  
“Just breathe, Lis. Talk to me. What happened last night?” he asked gently, though I could see his guard go up.

  
“I… I k-kissed someone.” I said in a small voice, keeping my sight glued to my hands as to avoid eye contact. I could hear him choke on his coffee slightly, and it pained me physically to know who his face must have looked like. I looked up to see his emotionless state as he stared back at me in silence. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen. We were drinking and he kissed me and I kissed him back, but I swear I left right after I realized what I had done. I know it’s inexcusable and- and… I just want you to know how sorry I am.”

  
“It was Oliver.” He stated, his voice tight as he looked at me,, his expression unchanging.

  
“I’m so sorry.” I replied, my voice smaller than it ever been. Tommy stood abruptly, slamming a twenty dollar bill on the table before he grabbed his coffee and left without another word.

  
My heart walked out of the door with him.

* * *

**Tommy**

  
“I, um, I…” A tear fell down Felicity’s beautiful cheek, I always hated to see her cry. “I did something terrible last night. Something unforgivable.” Slowly I pulled my hand away, putting on my poker face, and handing her a napkin. What could she have done? She’s the kindest, most innocent person I know. I released a breath through my nose before speaking.

  
“Just breathe, Lis. Talk to me. What happened last night?” I asked, keeping my voice light in effort to keep her from shutting down on me.

  
“I… I k-kissed someone.” She answered in a small voice, avoiding my eyes to the best of her ability. I choked on my coffee that being the last thing I was expecting her to say. I stared back at her, the wheels slowly turning in my head. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen. We were drinking and he kissed me and I kissed him back, but I swear I left right after I realized what I had done. I know it’s inexcusable and- and… I just want you to know how sorry I am.”

  
“It was Oliver.” I said through clenched teeth. It only makes sense, they left together last night.

  
“I’m so sorry.” She replied, almost inaudibly, cracking my heart in two as the blood drained from my face. I got up, slammed a bill on the table and left with my coffee. I couldn’t even look at Felicity at the moment.   
I got outside to my car, not letting a single tear fall until I was inside and away from everyone else’s eyes.

How could they betray me like this? Oliver and I had been best friends our whole lives, how could _he_ betray me like this? I put my coffee in the cup holder, then released a shuddering breath. My fists began pounding on the steering wheel, flurries of anger, hurt, and sadness being unleashed.

  
No girl has ever made me cry before.

  
After a few deep breaths, my shaky hand got the key into the ignition. I started the car and drove the all too familiar path to Oliver’s house, not even thinking about what I was going to say to him.

  
And _Felicity?_

  
I still couldn’t believe this. Things were going so great, _we_ were going so great. I can’t understand how we went so wrong. I’m in love with this woman and she broke my heart in a way that I didn’t even know was possible.

  
God, was this _karma?_

  
This had to be some sick payback for every girl’s heart I’d ever broken without a care in the world. All the girls whose names I couldn’t remember and the ones that I avoided like the plague after I’d gotten my way.  
I made the trip to his house on autopilot, then marched right up to his door and banged on it. After about thirty seconds of silence, I peered into his window seeing that the lights were off. Grabbing the spare key from beneath the potted plant, I let myself in, and searched his house myself.

  
He wasn’t home. And if he wasn’t here on a Sunday, there was only one other place he could be.

  
Verdant.

  
I quickly made my way back to the car, fully prepared to make the twenty minute drive into the Glades. When I finally pulled up to the club, I quickly parked outside having no intentions of staying. Red, hot anger coursed through my veins as I made my way inside. I had hoped that the ride would’ve given me a chance to cool down, but the moment I saw Oliver standing there, talking to Thea and our bartender, Roy, my actions were out of my hands.

  
“Hey, Ollie!” I called, as a approached him at top speed. He turned around just as I was a foot away, and I punched him square in the jaw, as hard as I possibly could.

* * *

**Oliver**

  
I turned around, only to be greeted by Tommy’s first connecting with my jaw.

  
I knew _exactly_ what this was about.

  
I winced in pain, cupping my jaw and ignoring my sister’s gasp.

  
“Tommy, what the hell are you doing?!” Thea yelled, before I held out a hand to silence her.

  
“I deserved that.” I stated calmly, though the fire was resonating through all of my teeth.

  
“You think?!” Tommy yelled, shoving me. “You fucking made out with my girlfriend! You deserve much worse than that!”

  
“Tommy, let me explain.” I replied calmly.

  
“Ollie, are you kidding me?!” Thea intercepted.

  
“Fucking, Ollie! How- how could you?!” Tommy growled, angrier than I’d ever seen him before. “We’re supposed to be friends—  _best_ friends and you jus—”

  
“Tommy, I’m s—”

  
“Don’t you fucking dare say you’re sorry, Oliver.” Tommy demanded pointing a finger at me. “Don’t you fucking lie to me.” I sighed, my words dying in my throat.

  
“Tommy, I swear to you, I didn’t mean to fall in love with her, it just—”

  
“Oh! So now you love her?! Fuck you, Oliver! You fucking… FUCKER!!” Frustrated tears started streaming down Tommy’s face. He hadn’t cried since his mother’s death. Knowing that I was the cause of his pain, that I’m the one that hurt him so deeply, made me feel like complete and utter shit.

  
“Tommy, please just let me—"

  
“You were my brother, Oliver. “ He interrupted, hardly above a whisper.

  
“I still am.” I murmured, resentful tears now leaving my own eyes.

  
“No you’re…” Tommy paused to chuckle humorlessly. “You’re Scar.”

  
“What?” I asked, confused by the metaphor.

  
“The Lion King… I bet you didn’t even know that’s her favorite movie. You’re Scar. You… you betrayed me so that you could have it all.”

  
“Tom—”

  
“You have your family… your mom is alive and she lives you to death. Your father actually gave a shit about you, God rest his soul. You have a sister, you… you get to have everything that I don’t. And the one thing I finally do have, the one person that mean _everything_ to me… you had to go and try to take her away. I never thought I’d say this to you of all people but… I _hate_ you, Oliver.”

  
My heart broke for Tommy. I never meant to hurt him. I’d swore to Sara and myself that I wouldn’t.

  
“I’m in love with her, Oliver.” He started. “I was just telling you last night that she was the one for me. That I wanted to marry her, and you just… I can’t even look at you anymore.” He sighed, his voice low as the fight left his body.

  
“I really am sorry, Tommy.”

  
“Go fuck yourself. You might as well fuck my ex-girlfriend too while you’re at it.” Then he turned on his heel and left, his shoulders slumped.

  
“Ollie—”

  
“I know, Thea.” I interrupted, having been berated enough for my actions. “I’ll uh, see you at dinner tonight.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: I wrote the ending conversation before I wrote the story.
> 
> Funner Fact: my birthday is on the 11th!! :)


	9. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy gets advice from an unlikely source; Felicity makes a rash decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been thinking that I may include Sara's point of view more often, (maybe even regularly), since you know, she IS Felicity's best friend.
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the well wishes and comments on this story as well as my other stories. I'm trying to get back into a regular writing groove, though the chapters are shorter than I'd like.
> 
> Also, I've been pretty stable through April. I wouldn't say I've been getting better, but i definitely haven't been getting worse, (though it's not as painful as before). My appetite has come back to an extent, so that's definitely a plus. 
> 
> That being said, please suggest some audiobooks for me to listen to during chemo. The last ones I listened to was the entire Harry Potter series. You can suggest any genre, I am into pretty much everything. 
> 
> And finally thing, the big day is only three months and two days away!! ❤ I'm so excited to get married, I feel like I'm gonna pop! Since I wasn't feeling well, I'm a bit behind schedule, but I'm picking my dress soon!

**Felicity**

  
My intention was to return to Sara’s house, but my feet ended up bringing me elsewhere. I walked on autopilot just hoping to clear my head. My heart was shattered and I felt so utterly stupid. What me and Tommy had was so special. It was something I’d never had before. And I ruined everything. Sure, Oliver was handsome and charming— _Stevie Wonder_ could see that—and I know it’s unfair, but he will always be the guy I met when I was seventeen. For sure, he was still sleeping around and forgetting women’s names. I walked in on way too many retelling of his conquests.

But no. That’s not the only thing that makes Oliver and I unthinkable.

He’s no Tommy Merlyn.

He couldn’t relate to me with daddy and abandonment issues. He didn’t look at me like a hung the moon and stars. He was never sober and vulnerable with me. Laying his head on my lap and crying about why he couldn’t be good enough for his father. He didn’t understand me the way Tommy did, nor could he possibly love me the way Tommy did.

And don’t get me wrong, it was a good kiss. A _really_ good kiss. But it lacked the love, passion and electricity I felt every time Tommy’s lips brushed mine.

God, what’ve I done?

I sighed as I let myself into the apartment, kicking off Sara’s boots by the door. It wasn’t until the door shut behind me, the auto-lock clicking into place, that I fell apart. My knees hit the floor and roaring sobs escaped my mouth. My mother came rushing from the bathroom in last night’s clothes.

“Oh honey, what’s wrong? What did that Merlyn boy do?” she asked, her arms sliding around me.

“I-it wa-wasn’t h-h-him. It was me!”

* * *

 

**Tommy**

  
I didn’t know what to do with myself.

I wasn’t going to stay at Verdant with Oliver there and I sure as hell couldn’t stay at the penthouse, smelling my ex-girlfriend’s scent. I drove around before landing at the all-too-familiar cemetery. I slowly hot out of the car and Tokyo the short walk to my mother’s extravagant headstone. The name Rebecca Jane Merlyn stared back at me, and I crumbled for the second time that day.

Pain resonated in my chest and I felt like I had just drank a gallon of bleach. I was hurting, and this time, I wasn’t sure if I could get through the pain.

Even worse, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to forgive either one of them.

I wasn’t sure when I fell asleep, my head against my mother’s stone, but when I woke up, making father was sitting beside me, staring off into space with a bouquet of white roses in hand.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, startling him from his thoughts. Malcolm glanced at me before turning his eyes back forward.

“I come to see your mother everyday at this time.” He answered simply before looking at me. “What brings you here? I never run into you out here.”

“I just wanted to be with mom.” I answered, purposely avoiding the situation with Felicity. You know, seeing as he tried to pay her to break up with me. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that our relationship fell apart and he didn’t have anything to do with it.

“So… _Felicity Smoak.”_ He said, because _of course_ he’d bring her up while I was trying to _forget_ about her.

“What about her?” I sighed.

“Moira told me what happened.” He replied.

“And how would Moira know what happened?” I asked, surprised by the direction the conversation was going, but also waiting for a snarky remark.

“She overheard Thea yelling at Oliver.” Malcolm shrugged. “Listen, son—”

“Son? Since when?” I cut in, avoiding his eyes.

“Just listen, okay?” he replied, before sighing. “I know I didn’t spend much time around her, but… I don’t see her being this kind of girl. Not with the way she defended you.”

“Your point being?”

“The way you looked at her reminded me of how I used to look at your mom.” I was startled by his confession, but held back from showing it. “Just. Don’t let her go until you’re absolutely positive that you want nothing to do with her. Losing your mom broke me, and I don’t wish that feeling on anyone.”

 

A quick trip to Felicity’s apartment told me that she wasn’t home, so I made Sara’s place my next stop. I knocked on the door, almost frantically, and Sara’s face fell slightly when she opened it to find me.

* * *

 

**Sara**

I cleaned up my apartment while I waited for Felicity to return. She’d already been gone for an hour and a half, and truth be told, I really hoped that her and Tommy were actually talking it out. Being together was the happiest I’d ever seen either of them and I hated the idea of them being apart.

Once my place was clean, I popped a hot pocket in the microwave and turned on the TV in my room. Law and Order SVU reruns were never a bad idea. The microwave beeped with completion as I picked up my phone. I shot off a text to Lis, checking to make sure everything was okay, then text Nyssa to see her plans for the day. If things went well between Lis and Tommy, then alone time with Nyssa would be great, and if they didn’t, then a class at Nyssa’s dojo would help get Lis’s frustrations out.

I bit into the freshly heated snack, burning my mouth with the first bite, as usual. You’d think I’d learn by now. My cell phone vibrated, and I picked it up, finding a message from Nyssa. She was teaching classes at 3pm and 7pm today, but promised to stop by in between. Still no word from Felicity , so I figured it was a good time to text Oliver and ask him what the fuck he was thinking.

He replied quickly, telling me that Tommy had already swung by and punched him in the face for his actions. As thrilled as I was to hear that, it made me wonder where my best friend was if she wasn’t with Tommy. I called her phone on the way to my bedroom. She answered just as I plopped across the bed.

 _“Hey.”_ Her small voice said.

  
“Hey hun, is everything alright?” I asked, fully prepared to go to her house with a quart of mint chip.

  
“ _Um… I’m at the airport_.”

  
“What? Lis, don’t do this. Don’t run from your problems.” I answered, sitting up in my bed.

  
_“I was going to call when I landed.”_ She replied, solemnly.

  
“Landed where, Lis?”

  
“ _I'm_   _going back to Vegas with my mom.”_

  
“Oh… well why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve come with.” I told her, still totally willing to pack a bag and meet her in Vegas.

  
“ _I_   _know. But I fucked up, I couldn’t expect you to put your life on hold for me.”_

  
“You know I would’ve done it in a heartbeat.”

  
_“I know. That’s why I couldn’t ask. I have to go.”_

  
“Call me the moment you land and don’t stay too long or I will drag your ass back myself.”

  
“ _I_   _promise.”_

  
“Okay,” I sighed. “I love you and have a safe flight.”

  
“Thanks. And I love you too, Sara.”

Just as we hung up, someone began pounding on my front door. I walked to it, preparing to punch some unsuspecting douchebag in the face for banging like they were the cops.

“Tommy.” I said, surprised to see him back at my door.

  
“Is Felicity here? I really need to talk to her.”

* * *

**Oliver**

I took a deep breath before entering the mansion. Having taken my motorcycle on a ride to Central City and back, a  _failed_ attempt to clear my head, I ended up being late for dinner. I had come by the house a bit after the Tommy debacle, only to have Thea yelled at me about it. I could hear the slight chattering when I walked in, and stepping into the dining room, I found none other than my sister, mother, and Tommy, (I would later learn that she had invited him the day before). 

Tommy's eyes settled on me, turning cold instantly. I knew him, and I knew he was more heartbroken than angry. I could also tell that something else had to happen since seeing him earlier.

"Son." Mother spoke, grabbing my attention. "You're late." I sat between her and Thea, Tommy straight across from me. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry. No excuses." I told her, as she nodded. 

"I'll go tell Raisa to serve the food now." She stated, standing from the head of the table and heading towards the kitchen.  The moment she was out of sight, Tommy leaned over the table, still glaring at me.

"She's gone." He growled. "She left and went back to Vegas because of  _you_."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will focus a little more on Oliver at his family dinner and Felicity in Vegas.


End file.
